FREE -MASONRY? 


VOLUMJE    I 


The  Lion's  Paw  Series 
Volume  I 


WHAT  IS 
FREE-MASONRY? 


N.  F.  de  CLIFFORD,  M.  D. 


AUTHOR  OF 

"EGYPT,  THE  CRADLE  OF  ANCIENT 
MASONRY,"  ETC. 


PUBLISHERS 

THE  BRONSON   CANODE  PRINTING  CO. 

1241-1249  S.  State  Street 

CHICAGO 


COPYRIGHT 

BY 

MRS.  FANNIE  ELIZA  de  CLIFFORD 

FOR 

United  States  of  America,  Great  Britain  and  Her  Dependencies 
1915 


This  little  volume  is  most  affectionately  dedicated 

to  my   ideal  of  a  true  womanly   woman 

MY  WIFE 

FANNIE  ELIZA  DE  CLIFFORD 

— The  Author. 


1761O83 


Foreword 

To  the  Lion's  Paw  Series  or 
Esoteric  Masonry 


By  N.  F.  de  CLIFFORD,  M.  D. 


N  WRITING  this  series  of  volumes 
we  shall  confine  ourselves  FIRST 
-To  the  Origin  and  Antiquity  of 
Masonry. 

SECOND— To  Morality  -  -  To 
the  Duty  that  Man  owes  to 
his  God,  his  country,  his  neigh- 
bor and  to  himself.  We  shall 
speak  of  Masonry  and  morality  not  only  as  it  is  being 
practiced  today,  but  in  every  age  of  the  world's  his- 
tory. We  shall  also  go  into  the  Religions  of  the  world. 
We  shall  endeavor  to  show  all  who  may  read  this  series 
of  books,  that  the  system  of  Morality  embodied  in 
Masonry  embraces  the  ethics  of  all  Religions,  all  Sci- 
ence and  all  Philosophies  that  have  ever  existed  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth.  At  the  same  time  you  my  dear 
Brothers  must  distinctly  understand  that  Masonry 
advocates  no  special  Religion.  It  does  not  teach  Budd- 
hism, although  the  Free-Mason  who  has  been  "duly 
and  truly  prepared"  thoroughly  comprehends  its  basic 
principles  as  well  as  the  Vedic  mythology  of  Ancient 


(5) 


6  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

India.  Masonry  does  not  teach  or  believe  in  Sun  wor- 
ship, yet  the  Master  Mason  knows  all  the  profound 
philosophical  truths  that  underlie  the  Religions  of  the 
ancient  Persians,  Egyptians,  Babylonians,  Phoenic- 
ians, Peruvians,  Britons,  Scandinavians  and  the  Sun 
Worshipers  of  the  world  universal.  Masonry  does  not 
teach  the  Religion  of  Mohammed.  Neither  do  Free- 
masons believe  in  its  prophet  as  the  inspired  of  God. 
Masonry  does  not  teach  or  ask  its  members  to  prac- 
tice Hebraism  any  farther  than  a  belief  in  the  ONE, 
Eternal,  Everlasting,  Supreme  Architect  of  the  Uni- 
verse. Neither  does  Masonry  teach  Christ  or  Chris- 
tianity. But  it  does  most  assuredly  Claim  that  —  No 
ONE  Religion  has  or  contains  the  whole  of  TRUTH. 
But  it  teaches  every  Freemason  to  believe  and  posi- 
tively know  that — each  and  every  one  does  contain  a 
part  of  the  Eternal  Verities  of  the  Ancient  Wisdom 
Religion  that  was  taught  by  a  Venerable  Association 
or  Brotherhood  of  ancient  India.  Freemasons  believe 
in  the  ONE  ABSOLUTE  EVERLASTING  GOD,  a 
knowledge  of  whom  passeth  all  understanding.  Be- 
fore whom  all  men  bow  in  Awe  and  Adoration. 

THIRD — In  relation  to  the  Allegories,  Legends, 
and  Symbols  that  permeates  the  whole  of  Masonry. 
We  will  endeavor  to  lift  the  veil  and  unfold  to  you 
their  True  meaning. 

Religions  of  every  age,  from  the  most  ancient  to 
the  present  day,  are  filled  with  Allegories.  We  also 
find  them  permeating  the  mythologies  of  all  nations 
and  peoples.  The  Brahmins,  Zarathustrians  and 
ancient  Egyptians  used  them.  So  did  the  Babylonians, 
Phoenicians,  Peruvians  and  Scandinavians.  And  it 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  7 

is  a  well  known  fact  that  the  Jewish  Rabbins  used 
them  in  their  religious  teachings  more  freely  than 
(perhaps)  any  other  people.  The  Christian  philos- 
ophy are  full  of  them,  in  fact,  Christ  Himself  taught 
in  parables  (Allegories).  They  seem  to  have  been  the 
favorite  method  adopted  by  the  ancient  members  of 
our  Royal  Craft  in  order  to  hide  from  the  profane  their 
Esoteric  mysteries.  The  Legends,  Allegories  and  Sym- 
bols of  Masonry  are  purely  Allegorical.  They  teach 
us  a  knowledge  of  Life,  Death  and  the  Immortality  of 
the  Soul.  All  our  Masonic  Legends,  Allegories  and 
Symbols  are  perfectly  and  easily  understood  by  those 
who  have  been  "duly  and  truly  prepared"  and  who 
have  put  themselves  into  a  position  to  Receive  and 
understand  them.  More  especially  is  this  so  to  him 
who  has  kept  his  First  Vow — To  subdue  his  passions 
and  improve  himself  in  Masonry. 

In  this  series  we  will  endeavor  to  unfold  some  of 
the  most  sublime  Truths  that  are  embodied  in  the 
Allegories  and  Symbolism  of  our  most  Illustrious  Fra- 
ternity. 

FOURTH — We  shall  find  a  most  profoundly  beau- 
tiful scientific  philosophy  in  the  Metaphysical  and 
Ethical  teachings  of  Masonry  which  are  embodied  in 
those  Allegories  and  Symbols.  We  shall  also  find  that 
those  sublime  teachings  and  that  profound  Scientific 
Philosophy  have  come  down  to  us  from  a  Venerable 
Association  or  Brotherhood  of  India  known  as  "The 
Great  School  of  the  Masters"  which  have  had  a  con- 
tinuous existence  from  the  Dawn  of  Civilization  to 
the  present  day.  It  was  from  this  source  and  from 
that  country  (ANCIENT  INDIA)  that  our  most  Illus- 


8  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

trious  Fraternity  originated.  And  long  centuries 
afterwards  it  was  cradled  on  the  banks  of  the  Eu- 
phrates and  the  River  Nile,  ages  before  the  Hanging 
Gardens  of  Babylon  were  raised  to  gratify  the  whim 
of  a  daughter  of  Ebactana;  or  the  foundation  of  the 
Great  Pyramid  was  laid  in  the  plains  of  Gizeh. 

Ritualism  and  the  Veiled  Symbols  of  Masonry  con- 
ceal the  very  essence  and  aroma  of  the  Wisdom  that 
belonged  to  that  Venerable  Association  or  Brother- 
hood of  Masters,  including  the  profound  philosophies 
that  were  concealed  in  the  Indian,  Mazdean  and 
Egyptian  mysteries.  And  we  want  you  to  know,  my 
dear  Brothers  and  readers,  that: — That  Association  of 
Masters  is  still  in  existence.  They  hold  the  KEY  to 
the  solution  of  LIFE,  DEATH  and  the  IMMORTAL- 
ITY OF  THE  SOUL. 

Before  concluding  this  Foreword  I  desire  to  say, 
that — there  is  no  question  in  my  mind,  but,  that  the 
earliest  peoples  in  all  countries  throughout  the  whole 
world  worshipped  Nature  in  all  her  wonderful  mani- 
festations and  differentiations.  The  sublimity  and 
grandeur  of  mountain  peaks,  the  raging  torrents, 
waterfalls,  the  dark  and  silent  rivers  and  hollow  cliffs, 
as  well  as  the  dark  mysterious  caverns,  the  towering 
pines  —  all  were  no  doubt  worshipped  as  emblems  of 
their  Gods.  In  the  same  way  the  Sun,  Moon  and 
Stars  as  well  as  their  differentiations  were  worshipped 
as  gods. 

Today  as  in  the  dim  and  misty  ages  of  the  past,  we 
find  Sun  worshippers  who  ascribe  to  that  glorious 
orb — God-like  powers  and  attributes  which  we  shall 
speak  of  in  the  body  of  this  work.  I  do  not  believe 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  9 

that  any  of  the  intellectual  people  of  those  various 
epochs  in  the  ancient  or  earlier  ages  worshipped  any 
of  the  above  named  Emblems  or  Symbols  as  the  TRUE 
or  ACTUAL  GOD.  But  only  emblematic  of  that  ONE 
GREAT  ABSOLUTE  CREATOR  OR  CONTAINER 
OF  ALL  THINGS. 

The  greatest  mysteries  in  the  universe  are  those 
that  are  ever  going  on  around  us.  So  common  to  us 
that  we  seldom  or  never  take  note  of  them  or  even 
reflect  upon  them.  Learned  men  tell  us  of  the  Laws 
of  Nature  that  regulate  the  motions  of  the  Sun,  Moon, 
Planets  and  Stars  in  their  orbits  flashing  along  in  tre- 
menduous  circles.  Each  and  every  one  revolving  upon 
their  axis,  shining  in  the  infinitude  of  space  with  a 
refulgent  glory  inexpressibly  grand  and  beautiful, 
moving  with  inconceivable  rapidity  through  the  in- 
finitude of  space.  No  wonder  that  man  in  the  early 
ages  ascribed  God-like  powers  to  them  and  worshipped 
them.  For  in  those  remote  times  God  was  a  mystery  to 
those  people  as  He  is  to  us  of  today — yes,  my  Broth- 
ers, everything  in  the  universe  that  surrounds  us  is  a 
mystery  to  us  and  to  all  men. 

Life  as  an  abstract  idea,  a  Power  or  a  Principle 
was  but  little  understood  or  grasped  by  early  man. 
But  the  manifestations  and  differentiations  of  Nature 
attracted  his  attention  and  he  formulated  ideas  re- 
specting them.  And  they  like  civilized  men  of  all  na- 
tions formulated  Gods,  to  suit  their  own  spiritual 
needs.  And  they  endowed  them  with  the  peculiar  at- 
tributes and  general  characteristics  of  the  worshippers 
themselves. 


10  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

The  devotees  of  pre-Vedic  India  builded  their  most 
sacred  shrines  distant  from  the  thronging  multitudes. 
Very  often  we  find  their  shrines  upon  the  mountain 
heights,  or  in  the  depth  of  the  jungle,  far  away  from 
the  haunts  of  men.  There  among  the  Riohis  and  Sages 
of  ancient  India  is  where  we  may  begin  our  investiga- 
tions for  the  proper  understanding  of  the  Morality, 
Allegories  and  Symbols  of  Masonry. 

In  my  endeavors  to  elucidate  these  subjects  I  shall 
quote  you  from  the  Great  Work  by  T.  K.,  also  from  the 
other  works  of  the  Harmonic  Series,  from  Morals  and 
Dogma  and  my  Egypt,  the  Cradle  of  Ancient  Masonry. 
But  my  principle  quotation  will  be  from  the  Great 
Work  by  T.  K.,  published  by  the  Indo-American  Book 
Company,  5707  West  Lake  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

N.  F.  de  CLIFFORD,  M.D.,  the  Author. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  11 


Introduction 


THERE  have  been  numberless  books  written  upon 
Masonry  and  Free-Masonry,  and  yet  none  of 
these  Authors  have  given  us  any  definite  or  positive 
information  in  relation  to  these  subjects  as  the  author 
of  this  little  volume,  "What  is  Free-Masonry?" 

Brother  de  Clifford  has  gone  out  of  the  beaten  path 
of  all  other  writers,  and  as  a  result  he  has  acquired  a 
fund  of  information  that  is  needed  to  enable  a  writer 
and  instructor  to  give  the  "LIGHT"  to  illumine  the 
pathway  of  those  Master  Masons  who  are  searching 
and  hungering  for  a  knowledge  of  "LIGHT  AND 
TRUTH"  themselves. 

The  author  of  this  little  volume  has  given  years  of 
untiring  zeal  and  energy  in  many  lands.  He  has 
searched  diligently  for  data  in  relation  to  the  Origin 
and  Antiquity  of  Masonry,  what  it  stands  for  and 
what  it  teaches.  He  has  spent  years  of  Personal  in- 
vestigation among  the  Archives  of  the  Nations  of  the 
East  and  the  sacred  writings  of  the  world,  and  he  has 
given  to  us  in  his  "EGYPT  THE  CRADLE  OF  AN- 
CIENT MASONRY"  More  Light  than  any  other 
work  that  I  have  ever  read  on  Masonry. 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  and  gratification  I  have 
carefully  perused  the  contents  of  this  valuable  addi- 
tion to  Masonic  literature,  and  I  do  most  sincerely 


12  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Lnd  earnestly  hope  that  greater  Knowledge  and  "More 
Light  in  Masonry"  may  be  obtained  by  every  Master 
Mason  who  reads  this  book.  To  that  end  I  have  the 
honor  to  present  "What  is  Free-Masonry?" 

GEORGE  FORMAN  APPLEGATE, 
P.  M.  Trenton  Lodge  No.  5,  F.  &  A.  M.,  Trenton, 
New  Jersey. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  13 


Preface  to 
What  Is  Free -Masonry? 

THE  AUTHOR  of  this  little  volume  has  en- 
deavored to  answer  the  question  in  the  following 
pages,  "WHAT  IS  FREE-MASONRY?"  by  asking 
another  question — What  is  Masonry?  Because  the 
writer  could  not  tell  anything  about  Free-Masonry, 
until  you  my  dear  readers  and  friends  thoroughly  un- 
derstood— What  Masonry  is. 

By  simply  telling  you  that — "Masonry  is  a  peculiar 
system  of  Morality  veiled  in  Allegory  and  illustrated 
by  Symbols,  that  statement  alone  would  not  answer 
the  question — What  is  Free-Masonry?  Because 
Masonry  is  one  thing  and  Free-Masonry  another. 

All  my  readers  will  notice  the  fact  that — the  words 
Free-Masonry  divides  itself  into  two  distinct  and  sepa- 
rate parts  or  subjects  as — Free  Born,  Free  Will,  Free 
Thoughts,  Etc.  Therefore,  in  order  to  answer  the 
question  —  What  is  Free-Masonry?  the  Author  has 
gone  into  the  Origin  of  Masonry,  proved  its  Antiquity, 
explained  the  system  of  Morality  and  shows  you  why 
it  was  veiled  in  Allegory  and  illustrated  by  Symbols. 

In  order  to  make  the  subject  questions  clear  to  you 
my  dear  Brothers,  the  Author  has  given  you  the  re- 
sults of  his  own  personal  investigations  in  foreign 
lands.  He  has  traveled  far  and  gathered  diligently 


14  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

from  out  the  rich  fields  of  Science  and  Philosophy  of 
the  ancient  and  the  modern  world,  and  he  has  brought 
his  sheaves  and  laid  them  upon  the  Altar  of  Masonry 
for  your  Inspection.  If  what  he  has  brought  should 
meet  with  your  approval  the  writer  will  feel  that  the 
last  years  of  his  life  have  not  been  wasted.  Whether 
you  will  accept  them  as  freely  as  they  are  given  re- 
mains to  be  seen.  But  do  not  believe  or  accept  one 
Word  or  Thought  that  I  have  written  within  these 
pages  for  your  instruction  until  you  have  proven  the 
TRUTH  of  my  assertions  for  yourselves.  If  they  do 
not  stand  the  Test  of  your  own  personal  investigations, 
I  shall  consider  that  you  are  not  yet  ready  to  RE- 
CEIVE that  which  would  make  you  Free. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  15 


(A  poem  written  by  my  Friend  and  Brother — J.  H.  Adams, 
of  Birmingham,  Alabama.) — The  Author. 


ART  THOU  A  MASON? 


Art  thou  a  Mason?    Ask  thyself  in  truth, 

And  search  for  answer  in  thy  inmost  heart. 
Are  all  thy  footsteps  such  that  faltering  youth 

Might  follow?    Does  thy  walk  impart 
By  its  uprightness  that  which  Masons  love? 

Hast  thou,  indeed,  full  trust  in  that  dear  Lord 
Of  all,  who  from  His  throne  above 

Marks  thy  design  upon  Life's  trestle  board. 

Art  thou  a  Mason?    Has  thy  Brother's  sign 

Or  summons  passed  thee  all  unheeded  by 
When  sorrow  swept  him  all  along  life's  line 

And  all  the  world  forgot  him?  did'st  thou  try 
To  cheer  him  then,  with  all  a  Brother's  love, 

And  holding  out  thy  hand  bade  him  God  speed, 
And  to  the  carping  world  thus  show  and  prove 

The  truth  and  beauty  of  a  Mason's  creed? 

Art  thou  a  Mason?    Has  the  widow's  sigh 
Smote  on  thine  ear  without  responsive  thrill 

Of  pity?  hast  thou  never  hear  the  cry 

Of  orphaned  children  but  thy  soul  would  fill 


16  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Itself  with  recollections  of  a  solemn  charge 

That  deep  within  its  chambers  fell, 
And,  thinking  thus,  did  not  thine  heart  enlarge, 

With  generous  action  all  thy  feelings  tell? 

Art  thou  a  Mason?    Has  thy  selfish  greed 

Made  thee  forget  the  Brother's  "heart  of  grace," 
And  has  thy  tongue  forgotten  all  its  need 

Of  charity  thro'  life's  mad,  rushing  race? 
If  so,  forbear !  All  things  ye  must  not  know ; 

And  it  is  written  in  earth's  history 
Some  sorrow  must  'neath  every  bosom  flow — 

And  God  alone  can  the  heart's  secret  see. 

Art  thou  a  Mason  —  not  alone  in  name  — 

In  deed?    This  will  the  Master's  record  tell; 
His  answer  will  be  praise,  or  else  eternal  shame 

Be  thine  when  "time  shall  sound  its  parting  knell" 
To  summons  thee  to  "stand  before  the  bar;" 

Thy  trembling  soul  shall  then  rejoice 
If  he  but  say:  Thou  craftsman!  from  afar 

Thy  deeds  have  saved  thee,  enter  paradise. 

— J.  H.  Adams. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  17 


CHAPTER  I 
What  Is  Free -Masonry? 

TO  PREMISE  my  remarks  in  relation  to  this  stu- 
pendous question  so  that  you,  my  dear  Brothers, 
may  be  enabled  to  thoroughly  understand  its  true 
meaning,  it  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  ask  another 
question,  and  that  is — What  is  Masonry?  and  differ- 
entiate between  —  FREE-MASONARY  and  MA- 
SONRY. In  order  to  do  this  I  want  you  to  distinctly 
understand  that,  Masonry  is  a  peculiar  system  of 
Morality  veiled  in  Allegory  and  illustrated  by  Sym- 
bols. 

But  in  order  to  better  define  the  word  Masonry  I 
shall  be  compelled  to  answer  another  question,  which 
is — From  whence  did  we  receive  this  System  of  Moral- 
ity, veiled  in  Allegory  and  illustrated  by  symbols? 

In  order  to  answer  this  last  question  fully  and  com- 
prehensively it  will  necessitate  my  going  into  the 
Origin  and  Antiquity  of  Masonry.  Then  into  detail  in 
i  elation  to  the  main  or  original  questions,  showing  you 
that  Masonry  has  a  History,  a  Literature  and  a  Philos- 
ophy, that  it  is  founded  upon  an  exact  science,  and 
that  he  who  desires  to  thoroughly  understand  this 
progressive  scientific  philosophy  embodied  in  its  Alle- 
gories and  Symbols,  must  read,  study,  reflect,  digest 
and  discriminate. 


18  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

In  the  following  pages  I  will  endeavor  to  tell  you 
what  Masonry  is,  what  it  stands  for,  what  it  teaches 
and  illustrate  the  subject  matter  fully  and  compre- 
hensively. Masonry  has  stepped  across  the  threshhold 
of  the  twentieth  century,  bringing  with  it  all  those 
sublimely  grand  and  beautiful  philosophic  Truths  that 
were  taught,  practiced  and  thoroughly  understood  long 
drifting  ages  before  the  Vedic  hymns  or  Mantrams 
were  first  chanted  under  the  shadow  of  the  Hindu 
Rush  or  Himalaya  mountains  of  ancient  India.  The 
home  and  birthplace  of  our  great  ancestors,  the  Ary- 
ans of  that  country.  From  which  country  and  source 
Masonry  has  found  its  way  to  every  corner  of  the 
world  universal.  And  today  the  sun  never  sets  upon 
our  beloved  and  most  illustrious  fraternity,  for  it  is  al- 
ways at  its  meridian  height  and  glory  with  respect  to 
Masonry. 

The  wisdom  and  intellectual  development  of  the 
Rishis  and  Sages  of  ancient  India,  with  the  profound 
scientific  philosophical  truths  which  have  been  handed 
down  to  us  of  today,  were  studied,  taught  and  prac- 
ticed in  the  hoary  ages  of  prehistoric  civilizations  of 
the  dim  and  misty  past,  under  the  dawning  light  of  a 
New  Age  and  a  New  Race,  by  peoples  whose  visions 
were  illuminated  by  the  dying  embers  of  the  Atlan- 
teans  and  Lemurians.  Races  that  have  passed  or  are 
passing  away,  but  who  have  left  behind  them  the  very 
essence  and  aroma  of  their  ancient  wisdom,  knowledge 
and  wondrous  civilization.  The  traditions  connected 
with  those  older  peoples  have  helped  us  on  to  a  proper 
understanding  of  the  Light,  Knowledge  and  Truths 
taught  in  our  Symbolic  Lodges.  But  the  Gnosis  of 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  19 

those  teachings  are  now  only  taught  behind  the  closed 
doors  of  the  Lodges,  Chapters,  Councils  and  Consis- 
tories of  our  beloved  Scottish  Rite  of  Free-Masonry. 

If  any  Masonic  student  who  asks  the  question, 
"What  is  Free-Masonry?"  or  desires  to  know  from 
whence  it  came  and  prove  its  antiquity,  let  him  search 
for  himself  as  I  have,  and  his  investigations  will  most 
assuredly  lead  him  on  to  the  same  conclusions  as  my- 
self--That  the  Origin  and  Antiquity  of  our  beloved 
fraternity  rests  upon  a  foundation  that  can  be  traced 
back  link  by  link  into  the  most  remote  civilizations 
of  the  dim  and  misty  past — thousands  of  years  before 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  preached  the  Beatitudes  through- 
out Judea  and  gave  to  the  Jews  what  "Chrishna"  had 
preached  and  practiced  and  taught  his  people  one 
thousand,  two  hundred  years  before  the  Master — 
Christ  said,  "I  am  the  Door,"  "The  Way,"  and  "The 
Light."  Long  years  before  the  harp  of  Israel  grew 
melodious  with  the  songs  of  Sol-Om-On  or  King  David 
bought  the  threshing  floor  from  Oman  the  Jebusite 
whereon  to  erect  a  temple  to  the  most  "High  God  of 
Israel,"  ages  before  the  lawgiver — Moses,  was  lifted 
in  his  rush  cradle  from  the  flowing  waters  of  the  River 
Nile.  Long  drifting  centuries  before  Abram  crossed 
the  plains  of  Mamre  in  company  with  Angels  or  paid 
his  dues  or  tithes  to  the  Hierophant  of  the  Order  of 
Melchizedeck  or  the  Jews  were  a  people.  At  which 
time  all  the  profound  scientific  philosophical  truths 
that  were  and  are  now  embodied  in  the  Allegories  and 
Symbols  of  our  beloved  Fraternity  were  orally  trans- 
mitted from  "Mouth  to  Ear"  by  a  Venerable  Associa- 
tion or  "Brotherhood"  of  Perfect  Masters  of  ancient 


20  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

India.  And  that  all  those  profound  truths  have  come 
down  to  us  of  the  twentieth  century  through  those 
long  drifting  ages  from  one  generation  to  another. 

There  has  never  existed  a  time  in  the  history  of  the 
world  when  the  teachings  of  that  Venerable  Brother- 
hood were  not  being  given  forth  or  taught  in  order  to 
help  poor  struggling  humanity  on  to  higher  planes  of 
intellectual  and  spiritual  unfoldment,  and  we  must 
distinctly  understand  that  a  vast  number  of  our  sub- 
limely beautiful  and  glorious  Masonic  Truths  are  em- 
bodied in  all  Religions  and  all  Philosophies,  and  that 
they  are  not  New  Truths,  but  they  are  as  old  as  the 
stars.  The  volume  of  the  Sacred  Law  tells  us  in  the 
language  of  the  writers:  "Ein  Chodosh  tacash  ha 
Shemesh"  (There  is  not  new  under  the  sun)  See 
Eccles.  1st  Chp.,  9th  verse  et  seq.,  That  man  would  be 
more  than  a  God  who  could  invent  or  discover  any- 
thing which  has  never  been  in  existence  before. 

Ragon  in  "Maconnerie  Occulte"  tells  us  that:— 
Humanity  only  seems  to  progress  in  achieving  one 
discovery  after  the  other,  as  in  truth  it  only  finds  that 
which  it  had  lost.  Most  of  our  modern  inventions  for 
which  we  claim  so  much  glory,  are  after  all,  things  peo- 
ple were  acquainted  with  three  or  four  thousands 
years  back.  Lost  to  us  through  wars,  flood  and  fire, 
their  very  existence  became  obliterated  from  the  mem- 
ory of  man.  And  now  modern  Thinkers  begin  to  re- 
discover them  once  more. 

My  dear  brothers  and  readers,  the  farther  back  we 
go  into  the  realms  of  prehistoric  civilizations  search- 
ing for  the  Wisdom  and  Knowledge  belonging  to  the 
Brotherhood  of  a  pre-historic  age,  the  more  will  we 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  21 

be  confronted  with  unmistakable  evidences  of  their 
great  learning  and  most  extraordinary  intellectual  and 
spiritual  development.  We  will  also  recognize  in  the 
magnificent  monuments  of  India,  Assyria  and  the  val- 
ley of  the  Nile,  tokens  of  their  wondrous  knowledge 
in  Astronomy,  Geometry,  Mathematics,  as  well  as  the 
state  of  perfection  to  which  they  had  arrived  in  all 
Arts,  Sciences  and  Philosophies.  Besides  these,  we 
have  proof  positive  of  the  existence  of  a  science  known 
to  this  Venerable  Association  or  Brotherhood  of  an- 
cient India,  which  men  of  the  present  day  cannot  prop- 
erly understand  or  interpret,  or  at  best  only  dimly 
sense. 

Right  here  I  will  positively  assert  that — All  Re- 
ligions, all  Philosophies  and  all  Sciences  for  this  race 
had  their  origin  in  the  "Land  of  The  Vedas,"  whose 
links  in  the  chain  of  evidence  can  be  traced  back  to  its 
original  source  broken  and  disfigured  as  they  are,  yet, 
still  with  fragments  here  and  there  to  connect  us  with 
the  glory  that  belonged  to  the  ancient  Wisdom  or  "Se- 
cret Doctrine"  of  that  Venerable  Association  or  Lodge 
of  Perfect  Masters  which  was  at  its  zenith  and 
crowned  with  glory  when  Science,  Religion  and  Phi- 
losophy walked  hand  in  hand  together. 

This  great  Brotherhood  inherited  all  the  Wisdom 
belonging  to  the  Atlanteans  and  Lemurians  whose 
mighty  traditions  they  thoroughly  understood  and 
comprehended.  Because  they  had  been  "duly  and 
truly  prepared,"  but  which  cannot  be  told  to  all  mem- 
bers of  Free-Masonry  as  the  great  majority  are  not 
ready  to  Receive,  consequently  they  would  be  unable 
to  understand.  This  great  Brotherhood  were  the  orig- 


22  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

inators  of  what  we  of  today  call  FREEMASONRY, 
teaching  a  system  of  Philosophy  that  we  of  the  pres- 
ent day  are  just  beginning  to  understand.  The  teach- 
ings of  Anaxagorus,  Empedocles,  Democritus  and  oth- 
ers are  being  taught  today  in  our  schools  and  colleges. 
Gallileo  was  not  the  first  man  to  discover  the  motions 
of  the  earth.  The  rotation  of  this  planet  upon  its  axis, 
and  the  heliocentric  system  was  taught  by  Pythagorus 
and  others  B.  C.  700.  As  above  stated  the  motions  of 
the  earth  were  understood  at  this  early  date,  and  yet, 
during  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Constantine  in  the 
year  A.  D.  217  his  son  Crispus  Caesar  was  taught  by 
his  preceptor  Lactantius  that: — the  earth  was  a  plane 
surrounded  by  the  sky.  That  earth  itself  being  com- 
posed of  Fire  and  Water,  and  his  venerable  preceptor, 
the  Holy  Father,  warned  him  against  believing  in  the 
heretical  doctrine  of  the  earth's  globular  form. 

What  the  world  has  lost  through  the  bigotry  and 
fanaticism  of  the  early  Church  Fathers  will  never  be 
fully  realized  by  the  present  generation.  But  there  is 
one  very  great  satisfaction  to  all  Free-Masons,  and  that 
is — THE  KEY  to  the  solution  has  never  been  lost,  and 
the  Light  of  the  ancient  wisdom  of  the  Brotherhood 
will  come  forth  once  again  as  it  did  in  the  days  of 
Eliola  in  the  Golden  Age  of  Egypt  from  the  misty  veil 
that  enshrouds  it  for  the  benefit  of  Masonry  in  par- 
ticular and  humanity  in  general. 

However  superhuman  the  efforts  of  the  early 
Church  Fathers  were  to  destroy  our  beloved  Fratern- 
ity and  obliterate  our  philosophy  from  the  memory  of 
man — they  all  failed.  Truth  can  never  be  crushed  out 
and  killed  or  destroyed.  Hence  their  failure  to  sweep 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  23 

away  entirely  from  the  face  of  the  earth  not  only  Free- 
Masonry  with  its  Legends,  Allegories  and  Symbolism, 
but  every  other  thing  that  was  inimical  to  their  faith 
and  to  shackle  and  gag  or  brutally  murder  every  wit- 
ness who  testified  to  anything  that  they  did  not  ap- 
prove. 

Let  us  think  for  one  moment  of  the  millions  of 
priceless  books  and  MSS.  burnt,  of  monuments  with 
their  too  indiscreet  inscriptions  and  pictorial  symbols 
pulverized  to  dust.  Of  the  bands  of  early  hermits  and 
ascetics  roaming  around  among  the  ruined  cities  of 
Upper  and  Lower  Egypt,  in  desert  or  in  mountain,  val- 
ley and  highland,  seeking  for  and  eager  to  destroy 
every  scroll,  papyrus  or  parchment  that  they  could  lay 
their  hands  on,  if  it  only  bore  the  symbol  of  the  Tau; 
or  any  other  sign  borrowed  or  appropriated  by  the 
New  faith — and  we  will  then  see  plainly  how  it  is  that 
so  little  has  come  down  to  us  of  the  records  of  our  be- 
loved Fraternity.  Verily  the  fiendish  spirit  and  fanati- 
cism of  the  early  Church  Fathers  as  well  as  the  fol- 
lowers of  Islam  has  loved  from  the  first  to  dwell  in 
darkness  or  ignorance  rather  than  in  Light  and  Truth. 
It  was  just  such  things  that  I  have  just  described  that 
tore  asunder  and  destroyed  many  of  the  links  in  the 
chain  of  evidence  connecting  Free-Masonry  of  the 
day  with  the  Brotherhood  of  ancient  India. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  25 


CHAPTER   II 
Investigations 

After  many  years  of  research  in  India,  Australia, 
Persia,  Assyria,  the  valley  of  the  Nile  from  Cairo  to 
Khartoum  and  the  Islands  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
ocean  as  well  as  this  American  continent  from  Canada 
to  Patagonia  I  am  positively  certain  that  Free-Masonry 
is  a  lineal  descendant  of  an  ancient  Association  of  Ven- 
erable Masters  in  India  to  whom  I  have  so  frequently 
referred  in  this  chapter.  I  also  know  that  the  mem- 
bers of  this  Great  Brotherhood  were  men  whose  lives 
and  labors  were  and  are  now  dedicated  to  the  acquire- 
ment and  perpetuation  of  knowledge  in  the  broad  and 
unlimited  field  of  Science,  Physical,  Spiritual,  Psych- 
ical and  Ethical  and  the  application  and  development 
of  Individual  Life,  Individual  Intelligence,  Individual 
Conscience,  Individual  Liberty  and  Individual  Happi- 
ness. The  modern  name  of  this  ancient  school  or  Ven- 
erable Association  of  Perfect  Masters  is: — THE 
SCHOOL  OF  NATURAL  SCIENCE. 

From  this  source  ramified  all  the  mysteries. 
Through  the  Indian,  Mazdean,  Egyptian,  Orphic,  Ca- 
birian,  Samothracian,  Elusinian,  Dionysian,  Christian, 
Basillidian,  etc.  There  is  no  question  but  every  unpre- 
judiced philosophical  Masonic  student  will  most  assur- 
edly find  and  recognize  the  connecting  links  between 
the  Wisdom  of  ancient  India  and  Free-Masonry  of  the 


26  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Twentieth  Century.  The  Masonic  student  must  not 
expect  to  find  a  regular  unbroken  chain  of  evidence 
running  down  from  the  hoary  civilizations  of  prehis- 
toric ages  to  us  of  the  present  day.  But  he  will  cer- 
tainly be  enabled  to  trace  the  links  in  regular  lines  of 
transmission.  And  though  interrupted  the  proof  of 
their  continued  existence  will  be  unmistakable.  The 
thread  which  connects  it  will  mark  its  descent  from 
Age  to  Age  and  Nation  to  Nation  until  we  find  it  echo- 
ing through  our  Lodges,  Chapters,  Councils  and  Con- 
sistories of  our  beloved  Scottish  Rite  of  Masonry. 
Just  as  it  did  in  those  gopuras  of  India  as  well  as  in 
the  cave  temples  of  the  Mazdean  Hierophants  and 
those  stupendous  fabrics  that  adorned  the  banks  of 
the  River  Nile;  long  centuries  before  the  couchant 
Sphinx  looked  to  the  East;  ages  before  the  foundation 
of  the  Pyramids  were  laid  in  the  plains  of  Gizeh,  or 
the  "Temple  of  Light  was  closed,  when  Egypt  became 
the  Land  of  Darkness. 

This  Venerable  Association  or  Brotherhood  of  In- 
dia was  the  original  source  or  depository  of  all  those 
pure  philosophical  truths  and  exhaustless  store  of 
wisdom  that  are  to  be  found  in  all  Religions,  all  Arts, 
all  Sciences  and  all  Philosophies.  In  every  epoch  of 
the  world's  history  these  profound  philosophical  teach- 
ings have  been  given  forth  by  the  Great  Brotherhood 
with  all  its  harmonious  system  to  all  those  who  have 
been  "Duly  and  Truly  Prepared"  and  found  worthy 
and  well  qualified  to  receive  them.  The  Wisdom  that 
was  taught  by  that  Venerable  Association  has  never 
changed  and  it  is  in  existence  today  with  a  continu- 
ous record  of  more  than  ten  thousand  years. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  27 

My  dear  brothers,  right  here  I  desire  to  thoroughly 
impress  upon  your  mind — that  each  and  every  Ma- 
sonic student  who  will  search  and  think  for  them- 
selves upon  what  they  find  among  the  sacred  writings 
of  other  nations  as  well  as  our  own  sacred  scriptures, 
and  they  will  have  proof  positive  that  Free-Masonry 
could  not  nor  did  not  originate  with  the  teachings  of 
Christ  the  Master.  The  Guilds  and  Builders  of  Rome 
or  at  the  building  of  the  Hebrew  temple  by  Sol-om- 
on,  although  Christ  and  King  Solomon  were  both 
members  of  our  beloved  Fraternity.  Read  for  your- 
selves and  you  will  surely  know  that  Solomon  was  a 
Mason.  You  will  also  have  positive  proof  that  Christ 
belonged  to  a  Brotherhood — not  to  the  Sadducees,  nor 
to  the  Pharisees,  but  that  he  belonged  to  the  Essences. 
He  was  a  Master  in  Israel.  Continue  your  investiga- 
tions and  you  will  find  that  he  belonged  to  the  "higher 
bodies."  If  you  doubt  me  read  very  carefully  the  7th 
Chapter  of  Hebrews  and  note  carefully  every  verse 
from  the  eleventh  to  the  end  of  the  chapter  wherein 
you  will  find  the  difference  between  the  Jewish  Order 
of  Aaron  and  that  older  Order  of  Melchizedeck.  After 
reading  the  6th  and  7th  chapters  of  Hebrews  turn  to 
the  one  hundredth  and  tenth  chapter  of  Psalms  and 
to  the  fourth  verse  and  you  will  find  that  King  David 
was  made  a  Priest  forever  after  the  Order  of  Melchi- 
zedeck. You  will  notice  that  King  David  was  not 
made  a  "High  Priest"  as  was  the  Master  Christ,  but 
simply  a  Priest.  You,  my  brother,  may  ask  the  reason 
why?  I  answer — compare  the  character  of  The  Christ 
and  King  David  of  Palestine  and  find  the  reason  for 
yourself. 


28  The   Lion's   Paw   Scries 

Now  let  us  go  back  to  the  days  of  Abraham  (see 
Genesis  14th  chapter)  wherein  you  will  find  that  after 
he  had  received  the  news  of  his  relatives  having  been 
carried  into  captivity  he  at  once  armed  his  servants 
and  went  forth  to  battle.  He  conquered  the  five  Kings 
and  released  from  captivity  his  Brother's  son,  Lot. 
Returning  homeward  flushed  with  victory,  laden  with 
spoils  of  war,  he  meets  the  Hierophant  of  the  Order 
of  Melchizedeck — the  so-called  King  of  Salem — the 
Prince  of  Peace,  who  brought  forth  bread  and  wine  and 
blessed  him.  And  Abram  paid  his  dues  (or  tithes) 
unto  him,  which  clearly  proves  that  Abram  himself 
belonged  to  that  ancient  "Order  of  Melchizedeck. 
Remember  this  was  not  a  Jewish  Order,  and  from  the 
evidence  of  the  volume  of  the  "Sacred  Law"  or  Holy 
Bible,  it  clearly  shows  that  the  Order  of  Melchizedeck 
was  in  existence  long  before  the  Jews  were  a  tribe  or 
a  people.  And  I  am  positively  certain  that  it  was  from 
this  ancient  Order  of  Melchizedeck  that  Abram  re- 
ceived his  knowledge  of  the  One  ever-living  God,  the 
God  of  the  Jew  and  the  God  of  the  Christian. 

I  have  referred  you  to  our  own  Scriptures — the 
Bible  or  "BOOK  OF  THE  LAW"  in  order  that  you 
might  see  and  read  for  yourself  the  truth  of  my  asser- 
tions, and  thus  enable  you  to  trace  for  yourselves  and 
find  the  connecting  links  in  the  chain  of  positive  evi- 
dence that  binds  our  beloved  Fraternity  of  Scottish 
Rite  Masonry  to  the  Essences — to  the  Order  of  Mel- 
chizedeck and  to  that  Venerable  Association  or  Broth- 
erhood of  Ancient  India  to  which  I  have  so  often  re- 
ferred. And  before  proceeding  any  farther  on  this 
subject  let  me  ask  you  to  procure  and  read  carefully 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  29 

"The  Great  Work  by  T.  K.,  published  by  the  Indo- 
American  Book  Company,  5705  West  Lake  Street, 
Chicago,  111.,  for  it  will  give  you  MORE  LIGHT  than 
you  ever  dreamed  of. 

There  is  no  question  in  my  mind  but  that  the  Es- 
sences were  lineal  descendants  of  the  Order  of  Mel- 
chizedeck  and  that  Venerable  Association  of  India,  a 
branch  or  lodge  of  which  was  founded  early  in  the 
golden  age  by  Eliola  in  Egypt.  This  was  done  by  the 
express  desire  of  the  Venerable  Masters  themselves. 
It  was  established  at  the  very  beginning  of  Egyptian 
civilization,  at  which  time  the  people  were  hungering 
and  thirsting  for  just  such  profound  knowledge  and 
scientific  revelations.  It  was  this  Great  Lodge  and  its 
work  which  caused  Egypt  to  develop  to  such  glorious 
heights  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  ascendency.  The 
officers  and  members  of  that  Great  Lodge  in  the  valley 
of  the  Nile  labored  earnestly  and  incessently,  in  ob- 
scurity and  in  secrecy  for  a  period  of  four  thousand 
years  for  the  advancement  of  the  cause  and  the  uplift 
of  humanity.  Let  me  assure  you  my  brothers,  that  the 
work  of  that  Lodge  was  a  mighty  factor  in  the  spiritual 
unfoldment  and  intellectual  development  of  Egyptian 
civilization. 

Eliola  brought  with  him  into  the  Land  of  Egypt 
when  he  established  that  branch  of  the  Great  Lodge 
of  India,  all  the  eternal  verities  of  the  ancient  wisdom, 
which  had  been  taught  by  the  Venerable  Brotherhood 
themselves.  Here  was  the  birthplace  of  our  great  an- 
cestors— the  Aryans  of  India,  who  most  assuredly 
taught  and  practiced  the  sublimely  beautiful  philoso- 
phy which  every  Masonic  student  and  intellectual 


30  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Mason  so  dearly  loves  in  this  glorious  twentieth  cen- 
tury. They  are  the  self-same  esoteric  truths  that  were 
taught  by  the  Rishis,  Sages  and  Hierophants  in  the 
hoary  ages  of  antiquity  during  the  initatory  services 
of  the  Venerable  Masters,  whose  every  act  and  thought 
had  ever  been  for  the  upbuilding  of  Humanity.  These 
were  the  Brothers  who  have  preserved  through  every 
age  the  sublime  truths  and  progressive  scientific  phi- 
losophy which  has  caused  the  learned  men  of  every 
age  to  seek  for  the  knowledge  and  wisdom  that  em- 
anated from  this  Great  Lodge  of  Perfect  Masters. 
It  is  the  same  beautiful,  harmonious  system  of  phi- 
losophy that  we  are  endeavoring  to  promulgate  in  the 
Lodges,  Chapters,  Councils  and  Consistories  of  The 
Scottish  Rite  of  Free-Masonry  today. 

In  relation  to  what  I  have  said  I  want  my  readers 
to  know  that  through  all  countries  in  the  world,  from 
the  cave  temples  of  India  to  those  of  Persia,  Nubia; 
and  through  the  valley  of  the  Nile  and  its  delta,  as  well 
as  in  Chaldea,  Assyria,  Greece,  Rome  and  even  among 
the  tropical  growth  of  long  drifting  centuries  in  Mex- 
ico and  Yucatan  are  to  be  found  at  the  present  day 
monuments  and  ruins  of  temples  covered  with  signs, 
symbols  and  hieroglyphic  inscriptions  going  to  prove 
beyond  any  doubt  the  antiquity  of  our  beloved  Fra- 
ternity and  Scottish  Rite  Masonry.  It  also  proves 
that — it  has  existed  in  each  and  every  one  of  them, 
and  if  you  will  take  the  time  and  trouble  to  search  and 
investigate  for  yourselves  as  I  have  in  those  Eastern 
countries,  as  well  as  our  own,  you  will  find  that  Free- 
Masonry  must  have  originated  in  India  and  that  it 
was  cradled  on  the  banks  of  the  River  Nile,  beyond 
the  dawn  of  authenticated  history. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  31 


CHAPTER  III 

History 

Speaking  of  HISTORY,  before  going  any  farther 
let  us  understand  what  History  is  and  how  it  is 

divided. 

HISTORY  is  a  full  and  comprehensive  account  or 
record  of  all  the  events  which  have  occurred  among 
the  various  nations  and  peoples  of  the  earth,  giving  a 
full  and  complete  account  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  na- 
tions throughout  the  world  universal.  Also,  the 
various  changes  among  them  which  have  affected 
their  political  and  social  conditions  as  well  as  the 
topographical  or  geographical  changes  of  every  coun- 
try on  earth. 

History  is  divided  into  three  great  epochs:  The 
First  — ANCIENT  HISTORY;  The  Second  — ME- 
DIEVAL HISTORY;  The  Third— MODERN  HIS- 
TORY. 

Ancient  History  begins  with  the  earliest  events 
of  historic  records  and  ends  with  the  fall  of  the  Roman 
Empire  A.  D.  476.  Medieval  History  is  also  known 
as  the  Middle  Ages.  It  commences  with  the  fall  of 
the  Roman  Empire  A.  D.  476  and  continues  to  the 
discovery  of  America  A.  D.  1492.  Modern  History 
extends  from  the  discovery  of  America  up  to  the  pres- 
ent year  and  day. 


32  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

The  Christian  Nations  of  the  world  begin  their 
time  or  era  from  the  Birth  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  or, 
Christ  the  Master.  Mohammedans  begin  their  time  or 
era  from  the  Hegira  or  flight  of  Mohammed  from  the 
sacred  city  of  Mecca  in  the  year  A.  D.  622  of  the 
Christian  era.  The  Romans  from  the  founding  of 
Rome  B.  C.  753.  The  Greeks  computed  their  time  776 
years  before  Christ,  or  the  first  Olympiad;  the  Baby- 
lonians computed  their  time  from  the  reign  of  Nabo- 
nassar  B.  C.  747. 

History  is  also  subdivided  into  History  of  Civili- 
zation, Sacred  History,  Profane  History,  Ecclesiasti- 
cal History  and  Civil  or  Political  History. 

I  have  written  this  definition  of  History  and  its 
sub-divisions  in  order  that  you  may  realize  the  fact 
that — if  you  desire  to  follow  the  positive  assertions 
made  and  given  to  us  in  our  Rituals,  you  will  most 
assuredly  find  it  necessary  to  make  an  especial  study 
of  all  kinds  of  history  in  order  to  prove  the  truth  of 
the  assertions  therein  made,  that — "Masonry  has 
been  in  existence  from  time  immemorial,  and  the  best 
men  of  every  epoch  of  the  world's  history  have  been 
members  of  our  Fraternity,"  consequently  if  you  are 
earnest  in  your  desire  to  prove  the  truth  of  what  our 
Rituals  tell  us,  search  for  yourselves;  especially  among 
the  sacred  writings  of  every  nation  and  people  and 
more  particularly  our  own  volume  of  The  Sacred  Law 
or  Bible.  Do  not  forget  to  study  carefully  CHRO- 
NOLOGY and  GEOGRAPHY,  for  they  are  termed 
the  EYES  of  History.  For  the  one  informs  us  When 
and  the  other  the  Location  or  place  where  the  events 
have  occurred.  Because,  CHRONOLOGY  informs 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  33 

us  of  the  precise  time  that  any  incident  or  event  oc- 
curred in  History,  and  GEOGRAPHY  the  exact  part 
of  the  world  where  the  incident  or  event  happened. 
The  "PHILOSOPHY  OF  HISTORY"  treats  of  the 
events  of  the  past  in  connections  with  their  conse- 
quences and  deduces  from  them  certain  principles 
which  may  serve  as  a  guide  to  statesmen  in  conducting 
the  "affairs  of  nations."  Thus  History  has  been  called 
"Philosophy  teaching  by  example,"  and  as  a  very 
great  writer  and  author  has  said,  "Social  advancement 
is  as  completely  under  the  control  of  natural  law  as  is 
bodily  growth.  The  life  of  an  individual  is  a  minia- 
ture of  the  Life  of  a  Nation." 

If  any  of  my  readers  are  desirous  of  search- 
ing for  proof  of  the  Origin  and  Antiquity  of  Masonry 
I  most  earnestly  ask  them  to  follow  the  lines  I  have 
laid  down  above. 

Before  going  farther  into  this  subject  I  desire  to 
quote  you  from  — "THE  HISTORY  OF  FREE- 
MASONRY," by  A.  G.  Mackey  M.  D.  In  his  Preface 
on  page  vi,  he  informs  us  that  "The  second  part  of 
the  work  will  pass  out  of  the  field  of  Myth  and  Legend 
and  be  devoted  to  the  AUTHENTIC?  (Bold  face  and 
query  mine)  or  recorded  history  of  Free-Masonry." 

Rejecting  as  wholly  untenable  and  unsupported 
by  historical  evidences  the  various  hypotheses  of  the 
origin  of  the  institution  in  the  Pagen  Mysteries  in 
the  Temple  of  Solomon,  or  in  the  Crusades,  an  at- 
tempt has  been  made  to  trace  its  birth  to  the  Roman 
College  of  Artificers,  which  presents  us  with  an  al- 
most identical  organization  of  builders  and  architects. 
Following  the  progress  of  the  Roman  Masons  of  the 


34  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

college  through  their  works,  to  the  different  provinces 
of  the  Empire  where  they  went  accompanying  the 
Legions  in  their  victorious  excursions,  we  would  find 
the  art  of  building  was  communicated  by  them  to  the 
Italians,  the  Spaniards,  the  Gauls  and  the  Britons. 

"The  hypotheses  sought  to  be  sustained  in  inves- 
tigating the  history  of  Free-Masonry  in  the  present 
work,  succintly  stated  as  follows:  Operative  Masonry 
is  the  basis  on  which  Speculative  Free-Masonry  is 
founded  .  .  .  that  is  to  say,  the  Lodges  of 
Free-Masons  of  the  present  day  are  the  successors  of 
Operative  Masons  which  existed  all  over  Europe  dur- 
ing the  Middle  Ages  and  up  to  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century 

"Free-Masonry  can  be  traced  only  to  an  associa- 
tion of  builders  or  architects.  Every  ceremony  in  the 
Ritual,  every  Symbol  in  the  philosophy  of  Speculative 
Free-Masonry  indicates — nay,  positively  proves,  that 
it  has  been  derived  from  and  is  closely  connected  with 
the  art  of  building.  The  first  Free-Masons  were  build- 
ers, they  could  have  been  nothing  else.  To  seek  for 
them  in  a  mystical  religious  association  of  the  ancient 
pagan  mysteries,  or  in  an  institution  of  Chivalry  as 
in  the  Knights  of  the  Crusades  would  be  a  vain  and 
unprofitable  task.  As  well  might  we  look  for  the 
birth-place  of  the  eagle  in  the  egg  of  the  crow  as  to 
attempt  to  trace  the  origin  of  Free-Masonry  to  any- 
thing other  than  an  association  of  builders." 

Now  my  dear  Brothers,  with  all  due  respect  to 
Brother  A.  G.  Mackey,  M.D.,  and  his  opinions  in  rela- 
tion to  the  Origin  and  Antiquity  of  Free-Masonry,  I 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  35 

shall  simply  say  as  the  late  General  Albert  Pike  said, 
his  premises  are  incorrect  and  consequently  his  con- 
clusions are  wrong.  For  if  what  he  said  were  true, 
neither  Solomon,  King  of  Israel,  Hiram,  King  of  Tyre 
or  Hiram  Abif  could  have  been — Three  Grand  Master 
Masons,  and  from  his  statements  our  Lodges  could  not 
have  been  dedicated  to  King  Solomon  and  they  ought 
not  to  have  been  dedicated  to  the  two  Saint  John's, 
but  rather  to  the  "COLLEGIUM  FABRORUM"  or 
the  Guilds  and  Builders  of  Rome.  Besides,  these 
claims  of  Brother  A.  G.  Mackey,  M.  D.,  in  his  "History 
of  Free-Masonry,"  knocks  our  Rituals  all  to  pieces, 
and  we  have  nothing  to  depend  upon  in  relation  to  the 
Origin  and  Antiquity  of  our  beloved  Fraternity  other 
than  his  erroneous  statements  and  assertions. 

I  shall  go  into  this  subject  fully  and  comprehen- 
sively later.  But,  before  doing  so,  right  here  and  now 
I  want  you  my  dear  Brothers  to  distinctly  understand 
my  opinion  in  relation  to  Brother  Mackey's  state- 
ments and  assertions  and  I  will  positively  assert:  As 
well  might  one  look  for  the  birth-place  of  a  Lion  among 
a  litter  of  puppy  dogs  as  to  attempt  to  trace  the  Origin 
of  Free-Masonry  to  the  Guilds  and  Builders  of  Rome, 
or  any  other  practical  operative  Masons  in  Brick  or 
Stone.  For  Free-Masonry  teaches  the  building  of  the 
Temple  of  Human  Character  through  the  development 
of  the  Faculties,  Capacities  and  Powers  latent  within 
the  Sanctuary  of  the  Soul  of  every  intelligent  human 
entity.  It  also  teaches  Life,  Death  and  the  Immor- 
tality of  the  Soul,  and  I  perfectly  agree  with  Brother 
Mackey  when  he  said — "The  first  Free-Masons  were 
builders.  They  could  have  been  nothing  else  (Bold 


36  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

face  mine)  and  I  myself  positively  say  and  assert  that 
—they  were  Builders,  but,  my  dear  Brothers,  they 
were  BUILDERS  OF  MEN. 

When  a  candidate  is  initiated  into  our  beloved 
Fraternity  it  symbolizes  a  birth  into  a  New  Life.  He 
now  finds  himself  surrounded  by  the  Wisdom  of  the 
Ages,  and  yet  he  does  not  fully  realize  it.  He  first 
makes  a  Promise,  afterwards  a  solemn  declaration; 
he  is  then  invested  with  an  Obligation,  the  fulfilling 
of  which  and  by  keeping  his  Promise  makes  him  in 
truth  and  deed  a  Mason. 

He  is  now  presented  with  the  Working  Tools  of  an 
Entered  Apprentice  Mason.  They  are  symbolical  of 
the  only  tools  that  will  enable  him  to  build  his  Temple 
of  Human  Character  in  accord  with  the  Constructive 
Principles  of  nature  and  teach  him  how  to  keep  his 
First  Promise  and  enable  him  to  "Live  the  Life"  in 
accord  with  what  Masonry  teaches,  and  what  Christ, 
The  Master  preached  and  practised  to  the  people  and 
the  Brotherhood  of  Judea. 

But  as  I  have  said  above,  I  shall  go  into  this  sub- 
ject more  fully  and  comprehensively  under  the  sub- 
ject of  the  building  of  the  Temple  of  Solomon,  and  the 
profound  Symbolism  of  the  Lambskin,  or  White 
Leather  Apron.  Also,  upon  the  way  it  is  worn,  and 
why  it  should  be  worn  in  those  particular  ways  and 
no  other. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  37 


CHAPTER   IV 
Antiquity  of  Masonry 

9 

As  we  are  endeavoring  to  prove  the  Origin  and  An- 
tiquity of  Masonry,  we  do  most  positively  assert  and 
declare  that  the  very  name  Free-Mason  will  most  as- 
suredly prove  not  only  its  great  antiquity,  but  the 
epoch  and  country  from  which  it  originated,  and  the 
why  and  wherefore  of  the  name  Free-Mason  in  the 
Golden  Age  of  Egypt. 

I  have  lectured  in  the  great  majority  of  the  states 
and  the  larger  cities  throughout  the  union  in  relation 
to  the  Origin  and  Antiquity,  Allegories,  Legends, 
Symbols,  Ritualism  and  have  specially  spoken  upon 
the  words  FREE-MASON  and  FREE-BORN.  I  have 
also  written  upon  the  various  subjects  not  only  in 
my — "Egypt,  The  Cradle  of  Ancient  Masonry,"  but  in 
all  my  other  writing  as  well. 

Before  going  any  farther  let  us  come  to  a  proper 
understanding  of  the  word— FREE-MASON.  In 
order  to  do  this  I  will  quote  you  from  my  "Egypt,  The 
Cradle  of  Ancient  Masonry,"  page  85  et  seq. — "Now 
this  brings  us  to  a  very  important  and  interesting  sub- 
ject and  one  that  should  interest  every  Masonic  stu- 
dent and  Free-Mason  throughout  the  world  universal, 
and  that  is  the — origin  and  meaning  of  the  words— 
FREE-MASON.  A  thorough  understanding  of  these 


38  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

two  words  will  verify  the  statements  that  are  made  in 
our  Rituals  that  "Free-Masonry  has  been  in  existence 
from  time  immemorial,  and  that  the  best  men  of  every 
epoch  of  the  world's  history  have  been  members  of 
our  beloved  Fraternity."  It  will  also  prove  that  our 
very  name— FREE-MASON  originated  in  the  "Valley 
of  the  Nile  thousands  of  years  before  Rhea  Silvia  fed 
the  sacred  fires  upon  the  altars  of  Alba  Longa,  or  the 
foundation  of  Rome  was  bathed  in  a  brother's  blood 
or  the  master  Christ  was  born  or  dreamed  of." 

I  do  most  positively  assert  and  claim  that  Masonry 
originated  in  Ancient  India  and  it  was  cradled  on  the 
banks  of  the  Nile.  Therefore  in  order  to  prove  this 
fact  I  will  state  that  the  "name"  FREE-MASON 
"Proves  its  antiquity  as  well  as  the  country  in  which 
is  was  cradled,"  and  this  verifies  my  statement  that  it  is 
a  lineal  descendent  of  The  Ancient  Egyptian  Myste- 
ries. But,  let  it  be  thoroughly  understood  that  those 
so-called  Egyptian  Mysteries  did  not  originate  in 
Egypt.  But,  that  those  ancient  Mysteries  with  all  its 
profound  and  exhaustless  store  of  Wisdom  and  Scien- 
tific Philosophy  was  the  offspring  of  a  far  more  an- 
cient organization  that  was  in  the  height  of  its  glory 
long  centuries  before  the  Sphinx  "Looked  to  the  East, 
or,  the  foundation  of  the  Pyramids  were  laid  in  the 
plains  of  Gizeh,  and  that  organization  was  and  is 
"The  Venerable  Association  of  Perfect  Masters  of 
Ancient  India,"  known  today  as  the  Great  School. 

The  words  Free-Mason  did  not  originate  in  the 
Anglo-Saxon  language,  neither  do  they  originate  in 
the  Latin  or  Greek,  all  of  which  they  antidate  by  thou- 
sands of  years,  for  they  came  down  to  us  from  the 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  39 

Egypto-Coptic,  a  language  that  was  used  by  the  an- 
cient Egyptians  in  the  Golden  Age  of  Egypt. 

The  Copts  are  most  certainly  the  lineal  descend- 
ents  of  the  people  who  migrated  from  India  to  the 
"Valley  of  the  Nile,"  and  who  adorned  the  banks  of 
that  river  with  stupendous  specimens  of  cyclopean 
architecture.  Their  written  language  was  expressed 
in  three  distinct  forms.  THE  FIRST — was  the  Hie- 
roglyphs. THE  SECOND— The  Hieratic,  and  THE 
THIRD — The  Demotic.  The  Hieroglyphs  were  used 
by  the  Hierophants  and  Priests  of  Egypt  to  preserve 
all  their  sacred  writings  and  thus  veil  from  the  profane 
all  their  secrets.  The  Heiratic  was  derived  from  the 
Hieroglyphs,  both  of  which  belongs  to  the  Priesthood, 
while  the  Demotic  was  an  offshoot  of  the  other  two. 
It  was  used  principally  by  the  people  for  commercial 
purposes. 

I  do  not  desire  to  enter  into  a  long  description 
of  the  writings  of  the  Ancient  Egyptians,  but  will 
simply  state  that,  in  the  Egypto  Coptic  language  the 
word — PHREE  meant  Light,  Knowledge,  Wisdom 
and  MASSEN  was  the  plural  of  Mes  and  signified— 
Children  or  Son's,  hence  we  were  known  and  are 
known  today  as  children  or  Son's  of  Light,  Wisdom 
or  Intelligence,  because  LIGHT  signified  knowledge  to 
the  candidate  or  Initiate.  It  is  that  which  every 
Brother  is  in  search  of— "MORE  LIGHT."  Thoth 
signified  the  Intellect  and  mas  a  child  or  son,  conse- 
quently— Thoth-mas  means  child  or  son  or  Thoth  or 
an  Intellectual  Man  or  Men  of  Intelligence. 


40  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

RA  was  the  Sun-God  and  MES  the  child  or  son, 
therefore  the  Grand  Ra-mes-as  was  considered  to  be 
a  child  or  son  of  the  sun. 

Now  the  origin  and  definition  of  the  words  FREE- 
MASON must  most  assuredly  prove  to  the  Masonic 
student  and  Master  Mason  and  thinking  brothers,  the 
great  antiquity  of  our  beloved  Fraternity.  It  will  also 
prove  that  Masonry  could  never  have  originated  from 
an  Association  of  Guilds  and  Builders  of  Rome,  or 
the  practical  operative  masons  of  Europe  who  worked 
with  brick  or  stone.  They  certainly  builded  magnifi- 
cent Abbeys,  Castles  etc.,  throughout  the  whole  of 
Europe.  But,  they  never  gave  birth  to  our  glorious 
Fraternity  with  its  exhaustless  store  of  profound  phil- 
osophy, and  as  I  have  so  often  said  they  were,  and  are, 
two  separate  and  distinct  bodies.  For  Masonry  is  a 
peculiar  system  of  MORALITY  veiled  in  ALLE- 
GORY and  ILLUSTRATED  by  SYMBOLS,  and  its 
members  are  those  who  labor  to  build  the  Temples  of 
Human  Character  in  accord  with  the  Constructive 
Principle  of  Nature  in  Individual  Life. 

The  Practical  operative  Masons  of  the  Guilds  of 
Europe  were  architects  and  builders  in  brick  and 
stone.  They  worked  to  beautify  and  adorn  the  va- 
rious cities  and  towns  throughout  the  whole  of  Eu- 
rope. There  is  no  doubt  but  they  traveled  from  town 
to  city  and  from  one  country  to  another.  But  we  must 
distinctly  understand  that  neither  the  Science  of 
Architecture  or  Masonry  ever  originated  from  the 
"Collegium  Fabrorum"  or  the  Guilds  and  Builders  of 
Europe.  There  is  no  question  but  that  there  was  an 
institution  or  organization  in  the  early  days  of  Roman 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  41 

History  which  was  known  as  Collegium  Artificium  or 
Collegium  Fabrorum.  We  also  believe  that  this  Col- 
lege of  Artificers  were  composed  of  prominent  Archi- 
tects and  Designers.  And  no  doubt  some  of  the  better 
workmen  who  labored  under  their  more  intellectual 
instructors  may  have  been  members  of  our  Fra- 
ternity. We  do  most  assuredly  admit  that  this 
Organization  or  Association  of  workmen  to  be  the 
founder  of  the  various  Guilds  of  Operative  Masons 
throughout  the  whole  of  Europe.  We  also  admit  that 
from  these  various  Guilds  of  Operative  Masons  in 
brick  or  stone,  sprang  those  men  who  claimed  and  as- 
sumed the  title  of  "Traveling  Free-Masons."  We  do 
also  believe  and  admit  that  the  members  of  these 
various  Guilds  were  bound  together  by  certain  Rules 
and  Regulations  for  their  government  and  preserva- 
tion. But  we  do  most  emphatically  assert  and  declare 
that — the  Guilds  of  European  Builders  and  our 
glorious  Fraternity  were  two  separate  and  distinct 
Bodies. 

Let  me  make  this  more  plain  to  you  by  stating  that 
—All  our  Labor  Unions  of  today  are  separate  and 
distinct  bodies  from  the  Druids,  Odd-Fellows,  Knights 
of  Pythias,  Red  Men,  Forresters,  etc.  Yet  we  posi- 
tively know,  that  many  of  those  who  are  members  of 
a  Labor  Union,  are  also  members  of  the  different 
Orders  mentioned  above.  In  the  same  way  there  is  no 
question,  but,  that  the  most  prominent,  and  intellectual 
men  who  composed  the  various  Guilds  of  Operative 
Builders,  were  also  members  of  our  Fraternity.  They 
applied  as  all  other  who  had  gone  before  and  were 
found  to  be  Worthy  and  well  qualified  to  enter  our 


42  The   Lion's   P^w   Series 

portals,  and  receive  "The  Light."  After  they  had  re- 
ceived "Masonic  Light,"  they  then  fully  realized  that 
the  profound  Wisdom  and  Scientific  Philosophy  that 
belonged  to  pre-historic  civilizations,  were  embodied  in 
the  peculiar  system  of  Morality,  Allegories  and  Sym- 
bology  of  Masonry. 

We  must  distinctly  understand  that  all  those  who 
belonged  to  the  practical  Operative  Guilds,  could  not 
become  members  of  our  Royal  Craft  for  this  reason- 
outside  of  their  own  profession  of  skilled  workmen, 
they  were  extremely  ignorant.  Their  Moral  and  in- 
tellectual qualifications  would  preclude  them.  They 
were  not  nearly  so  well  informed  as  the  ordinary 
American  mechanic  or  laborer  of  today.  Consequently 
if  they  had  not  the  necessary  qualifications,  it  would 
be  simply  impossible  for  them  to  enter  the  portals  of 
our  most  Illustrious  Fraternity. 

Let  me  assure  you,  my  brother,  that  the  sublimely 
beautiful  teachings  embodied  in  the  Ethics  of  Ma- 
sonry, has,  and  ever  will  be  in  existence.  And  it  did 
not  require  the  building  of  a  Temple  by  Solomon,  King 
of  Israel,  to  demonstrate  the  depth  of  profound 
Morality  or  the  sublime  scientific  philosophy  that  be- 
longs to  our  Fraternity.  For  I  have  shown,  or 
shall  show  you  that  Masonry  has  had  a  continuous 
existence  through  every  epoch  of  the  world's  history. 

Surely  the  very  name  PHREE  MASSEN  (Free- 
Mason)  ought  to  convince  the  most  skeptical  Master 
Mason  from  whence  it  was  derived  and  prove  that  it 
descended  to  us  from  Egypt  in  her  Golden  Age.  This 
fact  will  demonstrate  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt 
that  Masonry  is  far  older  than  The  Golden  Fleece  or 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  43 

Roman  Eagle,  or  Rome  herself.  The  Coptic  lan- 
guage was  in  substance  the  same  as  the  spoken  lan- 
guage of  Ancient  Egyptian  origin.  It  follows  that  it 
must  have  been  connected  with  some  Ancient  Egyptian 
Brotherhood  or  School,  or  the  Mysteries  of  that 
Ancient  civilization.  We  positively  know  that  the  in- 
structions and  Wisdom  taught  in  the  One  was  identical 
with  the  other  up  to  a  certain  epoch  in  the  Life  of  that 
Nation.  The  esoteric  teachings  of  both  Masonry,  and 
that  more  ancient  School  have  ever  been  a  guide  for 
the  Neophyte,  to  a  higher  plane  of  Spiritual  unfold- 
ment.  In  order  to  reach  this  higher  plane  our 
Solicitant  must  begin  his  Constructive  Spiritual  De- 
velopment by  a  careful  study  of  Ethics  or  Morality  and 
above  all  the  practice  of  Moral  Principles.  In  doing 
this  our  Brother  will  be  enabled  to  fully  develop  all 
those  Faculties,  Capacities  and  Powers  that  lie  dor- 
mant in  the  sanctuary  of  his  Soul.  He  will  them  be  en- 
abled through  Personal  Effort,  Practice,  Self-Control 
—Keep  his  First  Promise  and  "Live  The  Life." 

If  any  earnest  Masonic  Student  will  devote  a  little 
of  his  time  and  study  for  himself  the  sacred  writing  of 
our  own  Scriptures,  as  well  as  those  of  other  countries, 
and  search  for  the  Origin  and  Antiquity  of  Masonry, 
he  will  most  assuredly  find  that  it  rests  upon  a  founda- 
tion that  can  be  traced  back  into  the  most  remote 
civilizations  of  the  dim  and  misty  ages  of  the  past. 
At  which  time  all  the  profound  truths  that  were  then 
and  are  now  embodied  in  the  Science  of  Morality,  Al- 
legories and  Symbols  which  were  orally  transmitted 
from  mouth  to  ear.  And  they  will  also  find  that  it  came 
down  to  us  through  long  drifting  ages  from  one  gen- 


44  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

eration  of  people  to  another.  One  thing  is  certain 
they  will  find  very  little  in  common  between  the  Guilds 
and  Builders  of  Rome  and  our  Fraternity. 

I  have  shown  from  the  words  Phree-Massen, 
and  also  proven  that  Masonry  does  not  in  any  way  re- 
fer to  the  Builders  of  Rome  or  any  other  country.  But 
it  does  most  assuredly  refer  to  the  Builders  of  Men 
and  they  were  known  through  every  age  as  Children 
of,  or  Sons  of  Light.  And  Albert  Pike  in  Morals  and 
Dogma  refers  to  the  members  of  our  beloved  Fra- 
ternity as  the  CHILDREN  OF  LIGHT.  What  I 
earnestly  desire  to  impress  upon  your  Mind  and  Soul 
is  that  our  beloved  Fraternity  with  all  its  profound 
philosophies,  Ethics,  Legends,  Allegories  and  Smy- 
bolry  never  developed  among  the  practical  Operative 
Guilds  of  either  Rome  or  Europe.  But  that  it  came 
down  to  us  from  the  "Land  of  the  Vedas,"  the  birth- 
place of  Masonry  and  our  great  ancestors,  The  Aryans 
of  India. 

I  earnestly  ask  my  readers  to  procure  a  copy  of  the 
"Great  Work  by  T.  K.,"  published  by  the  Indo-Amer- 
ican  Book  Co.,  5705  West  Lake  Avenue,  Chicago, 
Illinois.  And  I  specially  request  you  to  read  Chapter 
IV  "THE  LINEAL  KEY."  And  I  do  most  assuredly 
believe  that  from  a  Masonic  historical  viewpoint  you 
will  find  it  to  be  one  of  the  most  wonderful,  instructive, 
and  entertaining  essays  or  themes  ever  written  on  the 
Origin  and  Antiquity  of  Free-Masonry.  Every  in- 
telligent Masonic  Student  and  Master  Mason  should 
obtain  a  copy,  read  it  carefully  and  study  it.  Because, 
it  will  prove  to  him  or  them  beyond  all  question  that 
the  Masonry  of  today  is  simply  an  offshoot  of  a  far 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  45 

more  Ancient  Association  than  the  "Collegium  Fa- 
brorum  of  Rome.  And  I  want  to  once  more  repeat  that 
the  foundation  of  Masonry  was  never  stained  with  a 
brother's  blood.  But  it  was  laid  in  Harmony,  Peace, 
and  Love,  by  that  Ancient  Brotherhood  of  Perfect 
Masters  who  had  associated  together  for  the  express 
purpose  of  perpetuating  that  exhaustless  store  of  Wis- 
dom to  which  they  had  attained  in  the  hoary  civiliza- 
tions of  the  past.  It  will  also  prove  that  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  was  an  initiate.  That  he  studied  in  India 
where  he  became  thoroughly  acquainted  with  those 
profound  Moral  Principles  which  He  afterwards  gave 
so  freely  to  the  people  of  Judea.  It  also  informs  us 
that  Buddha  and  The  Christ  were  both  Masters,  and 
that  they  both  worked  with  a  unity  of  spirit  and  of 
purpose.  And  their  differences  are  those  of  method 
only,  and  not  of  substance. 

Buddha  and  Christ  were  expounders  of  spiritual 
and  psychic  laws,  under  widely  different  conditions. 
They  differed  also  as  individuals.  They  differed  in 
personal  attainment,  character  and  method.  As  a  re- 
sult we  have  two  philosophies  colored  by  the  indi- 
viduality of  their  teachers.  Though  both  systems  are 
based  upon  the  same  principles,  they  are  very  unlike 
in  outer  form  and  creed. 

Each  of  these  teachers  expressed  his  individual 
concepts  of  spiritual  principles  and  of  human  resnonsi- 
bilities.  Each  employed  the  method  which  appeared 
as  best  adapted  to  the  intellectual  and  moral  develop- 
ment of  his  own  time  and  Race. 

Buddha  founded  an  order  of  ascetics  vowed  to 
poverty  and  beggary.  He  taught  a  literal  renuncia- 


46  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

tion  of  material  comfort  and  of  natural  human  ties 
as  the  life  of  highest  attainment.  He  saw  in  a  life  of 
seclusion  and  introspection  what  appeared  to  him  a 
higher  life  than  one  which  shared  the  common  activi- 
ties and  the  common  joys  of  human  life.  The  funda- 
mental doctrine  of  Buddha  was  the  sacredness  of  all 
life.  The  fundamental  characteristics  of  the  man  was 
reverence  for  Law. 

Christ,  on  the  contrary,  conducted  an  active  minis- 
try in  fellowship  with  "publicans  and  sinners."  He 
did  not  found  an  order  nor  adopt  a  distinctive  garb. 
While  he  did  not  exalt  himself,  neither  did  he  abase 
himself,  with  shaven  head  and  begging  bowl.  He 
preached  temperance  without  imposing  austerities. 
He  neither  condemned  the  natural  activities  of  men 
nor  disparaged  natural  human  relations.  The  church 
he  attempted  to  found  was  one  not  built  by  hands,  nor 
was  it  symbolized  by  priestly  garb  nor  priestly  au- 
thority. The  fundamental  doctrine  of  the  Nazarene 
was  the  universal  brotherhood  of  man.  The  funda- 
mental characteristics  of  the  man  were  Compassion, 
Pity  and  Love. 

The  method  adopted  by  Buddha  would  have  found 
no  response  among  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  of  Judea. 
However,  the  truths  taught  by  Buddha  were  the  same 
as  those  laid  down  by  the  later  teacher.  Who  that 
knows  the  spirit  of  the  age  will  venture  to  say  that  the 
method  of  teaching  employed  by  Christ  would  be  ef- 
fective in  this  age  of  scientific  skepticism. 

My  dear  brother  so  that  you  may  better  under- 
stand my  reason  for  you  to  procure  the  GREAT 
WORK  permit  me  to  quote  you  a  few  more  passages 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  47 

taken  from  the  IV  Chapter  or  "LINEAL  KEY:"    "The 

present  purpose  is  to  give  to  the  reader  an  intelligent, 
Lineal  Key  by  means  of  which  he  may  trace  every  re- 
ligion or  philosophic  movement  to  its  natural  anteced- 
ents and  determine  with  unerring  certainty  to  which 
of  the  two  great  antagonistic  world  forces  it  be- 
longs. 

"With  such  a  Key  in  his  possession  he  may  know 
with  accuracy  whether  any  such  movement  stands  for 
Light  or  Darkness,  Freedom  or  Slavery,  Evolution  or 
Devolution,  Construction  or  Destruction 

"From  the  early  dawn  of  civilization  to  the  im- 
mediate present,  so  far  as  we  are  able  to  determine, 
two  active  and  opposing  psychological  forces  have 
been  and  still  are  engaged  in  a  seemingly  irrepressible 
conflict  over  the  status  and  legitimate  function  of  in- 
dividual intelligence  in  its  relation  to  humanity  as  an 
aggregate  organism. 

"These  two  great  forces  divided  and  stand  opposed 
to  each  other,  upon  the  vital  and  fundamental  problem 
of  Man's  rights  and  privileges,  duties  and  responsibili- 
ties as  an  individual  intelligence. 

.  .  .  .  "Far  along  the  backward  path  of  hu- 
man history,  at  a  point  so  remote  as  to  confuse  all  our 
unscientific  ideas  concerning  the  date  of  'Creation,' 
or  the  birth  of  man,  the  first  mentioned  of  these  two 
great  pschological  world  forces — that  which  we  have 
designated  as  'Constructive' — crystallized  into  a  def- 
inite human  organization.  That  organization  was  and 
is,  the  Venerable  Brotherhood  of  Ancient  India,  herein 
referred  to  as,  The  Great  School'  and  whose  modern- 


48  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

ized  and  adapted  name  is  The  School  of  Natural 
Science 

"The  other  of  the  two  great  world  forces — that 
which  has  been  denominated  the  'Destruction' — was 
ultimately  crystalized  into  a  great  and  powerful 
organization  with  its  active  center  of  radiation  and 
power  in  Egypt.  This  was  the  'School  of  Black 
Magic'  or  of  The  Black  Art'  which  in  later  form  came 
to  be  known  as  the  'School  of  Egyptian  Pagan- 
ism.' 

Among  the  most  prominent  and  important  move- 
ments that  are  lineally  descended  from  and  directly 
related  in  principle  to  the  Great  Parent  School  of 
India  are: 

FREE-MASONRY,  both  ancient  and  modern. 

Buddhism,  in  its  origin  and  primitive  character. 

Primitive  Christianity,  as  exemplified  by  the  Mas- 
ter Jesus. 

Protestant  Christianity,  in  so  far  as  this  stands  for 
a  protest  against  the  Paganizing  of  Primitive  Chris- 
tianity. 

Among  the  many  and  various  organic  movements 
that  are  lineally  descended  from  and  directly  related 
in  principle  and  method  to  the  Great  Parent  School 
of  Egyptian  Black  Magic  are: 

Paganism,  both  Egyptian  and  Roman. 

Mohammedism,  both  primitive  and  modern. 

The  Greek  Church,  both  primitive  and  modern. 

ROMAN  CATHOLICISM  in  the  present  form. 

My  dear  Brother,  before  going  farther  into  this 
subject  let  me  give  you  some  information  in  relation 
to  the  word  MAGIC  and  its  definition.  Because  I  have 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  49 

spoken  of  the  "Great  Parent  School  of  Egyptian  Black 
Magic." 

The  T.  K.  informs  us,  that:  "It  is  the  individual 
exercise  and  use  of  the  natural  powers  of  the  Body, 
Spirit  and  Soul  in  controlling  and  applying  the  forces, 
activities  and  processes  of  Nature. 

MAGIC — Magia  in  its  esoteric  sense  means:  The 
Great  Life  or  Divine  Life  in  Spirit. 

The  root  of  the  word  is  Magh.  In  Sanskrit  it  is 
the  same  as  Mahat.  In  the  Zend  it  is  Maz.  In  the 
Greek  it  is  written  Megas.  And  in  the  Latin  Magnus. 
In  all  these  languages  its  signification  is  Great. 

Esoteric  science  is,  above  all,  the  knowledge  of  our 
relations  with  and  in  divine  Magic — inseperableness, 
from  our  Divine  Selves.  The  latter  meaning  some- 
thing else  beside  our  own  higher  spirit. 

Nearly  every  intelligent  Christian  knows  the  name 
of  Simon  Magus.  Because  he  is  mentioned  in  the 
Acts.  But  who  among  them  all  can  tell  us  of  his 
Great  Powers.  He  was  a  great  Magician.  So  was  his 
direct  disciple  Menander  A  Samaritan  by  birth.  He 
was  the  successor  of  Simon  and  reached  the  very 
height  of  the  Science  of  Magic.  Both  Simon  and  his 
pupil  attained  to  wonderful  powers  in  enchantments, 
which  the  Christians  claimed  to  be  the  handiwork  of 
the  Devil.  Yet  the  Divine  Miracles  of  the  Master 
Christ  and  the  Apostles  or  of  Moses  and  Aaron  have 
never  been  explained  any  more  than  those  so-called 
Sorcerers  and  Magicians  of  Ancient  and  Modern  times. 
Every  true  Mason  as  well  as  we  of  the  School  do  not 
believe  in  supernatural  phenomena.  And  we  laugh 
at  the  word  "Miracle."  For  a  Miracle  is  something 


50  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

we  do  not  at  first  understand.  But  when  we  do  it  is 
no  longer  a  Miracle.  But  simply  an  effect  produced 
by  certain  causes  set  in  motion  by  the  intelligent  Laws 
of  God  or  Nature,  by  he  who  knows  how  to  manipu- 
late those  wonderous  Laws,  through  and  by  his 
greater  knowledge  of  the  Constructive  Principle  in 
Nature. 

The  source  and  basic  principles  of  Magic  lies  in 
the  Spirit  and  the  Thought.  All  those  who  know  and 
understand  how  to  manipulate  those  Laws  have 
learned  by  Personal  Effort  and  profound  meditation. 
For  this  is  the  KEY-NOTE  to  Esoteric  Study.  lambi- 
licus  speaking  of  the  Divine  Science  of  Raja  Yoga 
tells  us  that  "Magic  is  a  lofty,  sublime  Science,  and 
exalted  above  all  others."  It  is  the  great  remedy  for 
all.  It  neither  takes  its  source  in,  nor  is  it  limited  to 
the  Body  or  its  passions,  to  the  human  compound  or 
its  constitution.  But  all  is  derived  by  it  from  our 
Divine  Ego  which  runs  like  a  silver  thread  from  the 
Spark  in  us  up  to  the  primal  Divine  Fire.  It  means 
to  me  that  I  have  the  power  of  doing  Good  or  Evil. 
It  also  points  out  to  me — If  I  desire  to  subdue  my  pas- 
sions and  improve  myself  in  Masonry  I  must  "Live  The 
Life"  and  work  out  my  own  Salvation  through  think- 
ing and  acting  Right. 

We  positively  know  that  Roman  Catholicism  is  the 
immediate  offspring  of  the  Great  Parent  School  of 
Egyptian  Black  Magic.  And  we  also  know  that  Free- 
Masonry  received  its  credentials  as  a  Progressive 
School  of  Moral  Science  from  the  Parent  School  of 
India.  In  the  ancestral  records  are  contained  all  there 
is  of  Allegory,  Symbolism,  Mysticism  and  Ethics  in 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  51 

Modern  Free-Masonry.  Even  our  Blue  Lodge  Ma- 
sonic ritual  of  today  is  but  a  modern  English  adaption 
of  the  ancient  ceremonial  of  initiation  into  the  "Tem- 
ple of  the  Sacred  Mysteries."  From  the  Ancient 
School  of  Natural  Science,  therefore  Free-Masonry 
received  the  inspiration  which  has  made  it  through- 
out the  past  and  makes  it  today  the  consistent,  open 
and  acknowledged  champion  of  individual  human  lib- 
erty and  the  unselfish  defender  of  the  widow,  the 
orphan,  the  downtrodden,  and  the  oppressed. 

And  so  it  also  now  can  be  understood  why  Prot- 
estant Christianity  is  held  by  the  Church  of  Rome  in 
the  attitude  of  an  hereditary  enemy.  This  is  because 
the  Protestant  movement  represents  in  large  measure 
a  direct  protest  against  Egyptian  and  Roman  Pagan- 
ism. In  just  so  far  as  this  is  true,  it  stands  for  primi- 
tive Christianity,  which  is  a  direct  lineal  descendant 
of  the  Parent  School  of  India. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  53 

CHAPTER  V. 

Prerequisites  for  a  Mason 

Before  any  person  can  be  initiated  into  a  Masonic 
Blue  Lodge  the  applicant  must  be  a  Man.  Perfect 
in  all  his  parts.  FREE-BORN,  of  lawful  Age.  He 
should  come  of  his  own  Free  Will  and  Accord.  He 
must  come  well  recommended  and  have  been  heard 
of  under  the  Tongue  of  Good  Report.  Should  these 
conditions  be  truthfully  proven  he  will  have  no 
difficulty  of  going  the  way  all  Brothers  and  Fellows 
have  gone  before.  He  will  be  enabled  to  pass  be- 
tween the  columns  and  receive  that  which  every 
brother  is  in  search  of,  "LIGHT." 

Before  proceeding  with  a  treatment  of  the  subjects 
embodied  in  this  Chapter  I  wish  to  say:  Every  Man 
and  Brother  who  desires  to  thoroughly  comprehend 
Masonry  must  be  endowed  with  intellectual  qualifica- 
tions, in  order  to  be  enabled  to  understand  and  appre- 
ciate the  granduer  and  Sublimity  of  its  teachings. 
Therefore,  if  he  is  not  intellectually  inclined  he  will 
never  rise  above  the  foundation  of  the  Symbolic  De- 
grees, and  consequently  he  will  become  a  mere  drone 
in  the  busy  Hive  of  Masonry  instead  of  an  Active 
Worker.  He  will  most  certainly  go  through  the 
various  ceremonies  of  Initiation,  Passing  and  Raising. 
He  will  most  assuredly  receive  the  Degree  of  a  Master 
Mason.  But  he  will  never  understand  the  true  mean- 
ing of  that  Sublime  Degree.  Neither  will  he  become 


54  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

a  Master  himself  until  he  has  solved  the  problems  of 
the  preceding  Degrees  and  their  profound  philos- 
ophical meaning,  and  thoroughly  understands  the  sub- 
lime teachings  that  permeates  those  ancient  ceremo- 
nies. Then  and  then  only  will  he  realize  the  true  mean- 
ing of  Brotherly  Love,  Relief  and  Truth.  If  he  be  true 
to  his  Vow  and  to  his  O.  B.  he  will  be  true  to 
himself  and  his  fellowman,  and  he  will  labor  inces- 
santly for  the  benefit  of  others.  He  will  also,  to  the 
best  of  his  ability,  endeavor  to  point  out  to  them  the 
Path  That  Leads  to  Light  and  Truth.  Thus  he  will 
help  them  on  to  a  knowledge  of  the  Laws  of  Love  and 
Righteousness,  and  himself  on  to  higher  planes  of 
Spiritual  unfoldment. 

THE  FIRST  of  the  pre-requisites  for  admission 
into  a  Masonic  Lodge  is  that  the  applicant  be;  a 
"MAN/' 

SECOND  he  must  be  "FREE-BORN."  Now,  my 
dear  Brothers,  if  we  carefully  analyze  the  true  mean- 
ing of  these  two  words  we  shall  find  that  they  do  not 
refer  in  any  way  to  physical  slavery.  But  rather  to 
Spiritual  or  Mental  Bondage.  In  the  first  case  phys- 
ical Slavery  is  capable  of  being  thrown  off  in  many 
ways  by  the  one  enslaved.  But  Mental  Bondages  is 
most  difficult  to  escape.  The  bondage  of  the  Soul  is 
unspeakably  more  harmful  to  the  individual  so  bound, 
than  he  who  is  held  in  physical  bondage  as  a  simple 
slave.  One  is  compelled  to  believe,  according  to  what 
others  tell  him.  The  other  being  held  in  simple  phys- 
ical bondage  is  permitted  to  believe  in  accord  with 
the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience  and  work  out  his 
own  Salvation. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  55 

We  find  many  men  who  were  born  Slaves  that 
proved  themselves  to  be  most  eloquent  Teachers  of 
Morality  and  Moral  principles.  Take  for  instance 
Epictetus,  who  was  born  as  history  informs  us,  some- 
where about  the  middle  of  the  first  century  of  the 
Christian  Era.  The  exact  date  of  his  birth  is  not 
known.  This  man  was  born  in  Physical  bondage,  yet 
he  was  Mentally-Free.  His  writings  prove  him  to  be 
one  of  the  greatest  philosophers  of  the  Stoic  School. 
It  is  positively  certain  that  he  was  not  only  a  slave, 
but  a  cripple.  It  is  related  that  he  was  injured  by  the 
cruelty  of  his  master  who  subjected  him  to  severe 
torture.  While  he  was  suffering  Epictetus  said  to  him : 
"If  you  continue  you  will  break  my  leg."  He  had 
hardly  spoken  when  the  limb  broke  and  the  philoso- 
pher added  quite  calmly:  "Did  I  not  tell  you  what 
would  happen." 

He  believed  and  wrote  that  the  true  aim  of  Man 
was  to  live  in  conformity  with  the  Constructive  Prin- 
ciple in  Nature.  To  obey  the  internal  voice  of  the 
Soul.  To  obey  the  Law.  To  Live  The  Life.  He  also 
taught  that  every  man  should  submit  without  com- 
plaining to  that  which  was  not  in  their  power  to  pre- 
vent. And  it  is  positively  certain  that  he  practiced 
what  he  preached  and  taught. 

It  would  be  of  little  use  for  me  to  go  into  detail, 
in  relation  to  the  Doctrine  of  Epictetus.  I  might  quote 
you  from  selections  of  his  discourses  and  show  you 
that  he  deals  with  nothing  but  the  ethical  teachings 
of  Stoicism,  and  with  these  only  in  their  simpliest 
forms  and  he  states  them  so  clearly  and  directly,  that 
no  one  can  miss  their  meaning.  It  is  enough  to  say 


56  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

that  the  One  thought  that  underlies  all  the  discourses 
is  that  of  FREEDOM — freedom  from  Servitude  to  the 
varying  accidents  of  human  life — from  Servitude  to 
Pleasure  as  well  as  to  pain,  to  hope  as  well  as  to  fear, 
to  one's  passions,  as  well  as  to  the  domination  of 
others. 

He  was  resolved,  with  a  power  that  has  never  been 
surpassed,  that  none  of  these  things  should  have  con- 
trol over  him,  that  Spiritually  he  would  be  a  FREE- 
MAN. And  he  felt  in  the  Stoic  Morals  he  had  found, 
the  means  of  his  infranchisements.  This  Stoic  plan 
of  Salvation,  which  he  announced  to  his  disciples,  with 
all  the  energy  of  his  nature,  can  be  stated  in  a  word. 
FREEDOM  from  all  that  binds  and  enslaves  the  indi- 
vidual Will  can  be  secured  simply  by  recognizing  that 
the  Will  is  within  its  own  sphere,  potentially  supreme, 
and  that  the  only  thing  in  the  world  that  has  any  real 
value  for  a  reasonable  mind  is  the  character  which  the 
Will  in  its  Freedom  works  out.  Within  this  sphere  of 
individual  FREEDOM  lie  man's  only  good  and  evil, 
as  well  as  his  personal  worth  and  dignity  for  there  he 
is  Master  of  his  fate.  There  he  may  have  Good  if  he 
Wills  it  or  Evil  if  he  selects.  Beyond  this  sphere  on 
the  other  hand  where  Freedom  ceases  there  ceases  also 
choice,  responsibility  and  character.  And  whatever 
happiness  there  is  whether  Good  or  Evil,  but  abso- 
lutely indifferent  to  the  intelligent  Will  and  to  Rational 
desire.  With  regard  to  the  whole  course  of  Life,  ac- 
cordingly, there  is  but  one  possible  rule  of  conduct, 
namely,  to  make  the  best  use  of  whatever  is  in  one's 
power  and  take  the  rest  as  it  happens,  as  it  pleases 
God.  He  who  follows  this  rule  will  most  assuredly 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  57 

attain  his  desire,  FREEDOM— will  in  fact,  be  as  God, 
not  merely  Knowing,  but  also  controlling  Good  and 
Evil.  Does  the  Tyrant,  says  Epictetus,  want  my  head? 
Let  him  take  it.  Has  my  Friend  died.  I  will  bear  the 
inevitable  without  complaint.  Does  Starvation 
threaten  me  and  my  children?  Let  it  come  if  it  must, 
for  it  can  bring  me  nothing  worse  than  death,  which 
is  nothing.  But,  in  whatever,  relates  to  my  charac- 
ter, my  dignity,  my  serenity,  I  am  Master.  And  no 
power  in  heaven  or  on  Earth  shall  move  me  from  my 
course  one  hair's  breath,  or  balk  my  desires. 

My  dear  readers  and  friends,  in  this  account  of 
Epictetus,  I  have  shown  you  that  although  he  was 
held  in  physical  bondage  he  was  most  assuredly 
Mentally  Free.  He  could  believe  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  his  own  Conscience.  There  was  no  power  on 
earth,  or  in  the  heavens  above  that  could  destroy  his 
attitude  of  Mind  or  Soul.  His  Master  could  destroy 
the  physical  body,  but  he  could  not  destroy  his  Mental 
Freedom.  Therefore,  I  intend  showing  you  from  a 
Masonic  viewpoint,  what  kind  of  Man  our  beloved  Fra- 
ternity considers  the  words  Free-Born  to  mean.  But, 
before  going  farther  in  this  subject  I  would  like  to 
quote  you  from  our  DECLARATION  OF  INDE- 
PENDENCE. This  sublimely  beautiful  sentiment  is 
one  of  the  grandest  that  ever  emanated  from  a  human 
brain.  It  will  stand  forever  as  a  monument  to  the 
Spirit  of  Masonry  and  the  Brother  who  wrote  it: 

"We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident."  That  all 
men  are  created  equal,  that  they  are  endowed  by  their 
Creator  with  certain  inalienable  Rights,  that  among 
these  are  Life,  Liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  Happiness; 


58  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

that  to  secure  these  Rights  Governments  are  instituted 
among  men,  deriving  their  just  powers  from  the  con- 
sent of  the  governed.  That  whenever  any  form  of 
Government  becomes  destructive  of  these  ends,  it  is 
the  Right  of  the  People  to  alter  or  abolish  it  and  to  in- 
stitute new  Government,  laying  its  foundation  on  such 
principles  and  organizing  its  powers  in  such  form,  as 
to  them  shall  seem  most  likely  to  affect  their  Safety 
and  Happiness. 

It  was  the  same  Spirit  and  a  Kindred  intelligence 
that  formulated  these  profoundly  significant  words 
constituting  the  preamble  of  our  National  Constitu- 
tion. 

We,  the  People  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to 
form  a  more  perfect  Union,  establish  Justice,  insure 
domestic  Tranquility,  provide  for  the  Common  De- 
fense, promote  the  general  Welfare  and  secure  the 
Blessings  of  Liberty  to  ourselves  and  our  Posterity, 
do  ordain  and  establish  this  Constitution  for  the 
United  States  of  America. 

At  every  point  in  the  onward  and  upward  progress 
of  our  National  evolution,  it  has  been  the  same  broad, 
gracious  but  uncompromising  spirit  of  individual 
Liberty,  together  with  an  unfaltering  love  of  human 
Freedom  and  its  unquenchable  thirst  for  knowledge 
and  education  that  has  thus  far  defeated  the  subtle 
and  persistent  efforts  of  opposing  forces  to  subvert 
and  subordinate  the  power,  the  dignity  and  the  vitality 
of  the  State  to  ecclesiastical  authority  and  control. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  59 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Roman  Catholicism 

From  a  Masonic  standpoint  children  who  are  born 
of  bigoted  Roman  Catholic  parents  are  never  Free- 
Born,  neither  can  they  be  considered  to  be  Free.  You 
may  ask,  Why?  I  answer:  Because  they  are  born  in 
Mental  Bondage. 

In  the  pre-natal  existence  of  the  child  the  Mother 
weaves  into  every  fibre  of  its  being,  her  own  attitude 
and  belief  in  Holy  Mother  Church.  The  child  is  in- 
structed, from  the  time  it  can  understand  what  is  said. 
Then  it  is  firmly  impressed  upon  the  Mind  and  Soul 
of  that  child  that  Obedience  to  the  commands  of  the 
church  is  the  only  essential  Obligation  resting  upon  it. 
Every  child  thus  born  is  compelled  to  believe  that  the 
greatest  of  all  sins  is  disobedience  to  the  Holy  Mother 
Church  and  its  absolute  authority  over  them.  They 
are  also  taught  to  believe  from  their  infancy  that  the 
Church  or  its  representatives,  the  Priests,  posses  the 
divine  power  of  forgiving  the  sins  of  its  children.  That 
there  is  no  sin  so  black  or  degrading  that  the  Church 
will  refuse  forgiveness  to  any  member  who  is  able  and 
willing  to  pay  the  price  "in  good  and  lawful  money," 
which  the  Church  or  its  duly  accredited  representa- 
tives and  financial  agents — The  Priests  demands. 

In  that  particular  Church  the  honest  Student  of 
Psychology  is  constantly  shocked  and  amazed  to  find 


60  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

that  all  things  Spiritual  and  Psychical  as  well  as  celes- 
tial, terrestial  and  in  heaven  as  well  as  on  earth  have 
been  reduced  to  a  purely  commercial  basis.  And  in 
this  country  are  valued  only  in  dollars  and  cents.  It 
would  be  very  difficult  to  find  a  priest  or  even  a  mem- 
ber of  that  Church  in  good  and  regular  standing  who 
would  publicly  admit  its  truth.  But  this  does  not  alter 
the  fact,  in  the  least,  nor  in  any  way  or  manner  modify 
their  meaning  nor  mitigate  their  effects. 

The  Pope  and  his  College^of  Cardinals  are  the  only 
people  in  this  Church  who  are  independent.  In  them 
only  is  all  the  power.  The  balance  are  superstitious 
and  bound  by  Fear,  to  absolute  Obedience.  The  few 
wield  absolute  Power.  They  Command  Obedience. 
The  many  Obey. 

Can  you  not  see  from  the  above,  my  dear  Brother 
and  readers  that  a  child  born  from  bigoted  Roman 
Catholic  parents  is  at  birth  dedicated  to  Superstition, 
Obedience  and  Fear.  Do  you  not  realize  that  there  is  no 
Freedom  of  Thought  or  Conscience,  or  in  fact,  Free- 
dom of  any  kind  to  any  one  who  is  bound  by  Supersti- 
tion, Dread  and  Fear?  I  tell  you  my  dear  Brothers; 
no  man  who  calls  himself  a  Roman  Catholic  should 
ever  be  permitted  to  enter  the  portals  of  our  beloved 
Fraternity.  The  Master  of  a  Lodge  who  knowingly, 
allows,  such  an  one  to  be  admitted  into  that  Lodge 
should  be  compelled  to  surrender  his  Charter.  No 
born  Roman  Cotholic  who  has  not  given  unmistakable 
evidence  that  he  has  repudiated  and  forever  thrown 
off  the  fetteis  that  bound  him  to  the  Romish  Church 
should  be  admitted  to  membership  in  our  Royal  Craft 
upon  any  consideration  whatever. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  61 

Before  proceeding  farther,  let  me  point  out  to  you, 
that  there  are  two  great  Spiritual  Schools,  one  of 
which  has  developed,  and  the  other  has  endeavored 
to  dominate  human  Intelligence  and  Conscience 
throughout  the  Ages.  Those  two  Great  Silent,  power- 
ful and  vitally  antagonistic  currents  which  at  their  in- 
tersection have  given  to  the  world  an  Exodus,  a  Cruci- 
fixion, an  Inquisition,  a  Protestation  and  a  Reforma- 
tion. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  63 


CHAPTER  VII. 
Scottish  Rite  Philosophy 

I  am  exceedingly  desirious  of  showing  you  that  it 
is  the  duty  of  every  Brother  Master  Mason  to  labor 
earnestly  and  incessently  to  guard  the  portals  of  our 
Fraternity  against  all  those  who  are  not  worthy  or  well 
qualified  to  enter.  It  is  also  the  bounden  Duty  of  every 
member  of  the  so-called  York  Rite  of  Masonry  to  labor 
for  the  advancement  of  his  Brother,  both  Mentally  and 
Morally,  as  we  of  the  Scottish  obedience.  They  should 
also  teach  him,  that  it  is  by  the  development  of  the  in- 
tellectual qualifications  that  Man  begins  to  learn  some- 
thing about  himself  and  the  potential  forces  that  are 
latent  within  him.  As  we  do  in  the  School  of  Natural 
Science  and  the  philosophical  Degree  of  the  Scottish 
Rite  of  Masonry  of  the  Southern  Jurisdiction. 

The  acquisition  of  knowledge  is  a  gift,  as  it  were, 
to  some.  But,  every  living,  thinking,  intelligent,  hu- 
man being,  with  a  well  balanced  brain  has  the  poten- 
tiality of  acquiring  knowledge  and  becoming  wise  by 
deep  thought  and  earnest  study.  He  must  first  learn 
to  Think  and  Reason  for  himself.  For  as  a  man 
Thinks  in  the  depth  of  his  heart  so  he  becomes.  If 
he  follows  this  line  of  study,  it  will  not  be  long  be- 
fore he  will  begin  to  realize  that  the  Key  Note  to 
WISDOM  is  MEDITATION.  Then  will  he  be  enabled 
to  trample  beneath  his  feet  the  snarling  serpents  of 


64  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Bigotry,  Ignorance,  Intolerance,  Fanaticism  and  False- 
hood. In  doing  this  he  will  not  only  help  Masonry 
in  particular,  but  humanity  in  general,  by  showing  the 
Light  of  Truth  in  Free-Thought  and  Free-Speech. 

Free  Masonry  tolerates  all  Religions  and  does  most 
emphatically  claim  and  assert  that  no  Man,  or  body  of 
Men,  living  or  dead,  has  the  right  to  dictate  to  another 
what  he  shall  or  shall  not  believe.  Masonry  also 
claims,  and  positively  asserts,  that  every  Man  has  a 
perfect  right  to  believe  according  to  the  dictates  of 
his  own  conscience.  Unless  a  Man  is  allowed  Free- 
dom of  Thought  he  is  not  a  Free-Man  at  all.  If  Man 
is  possessed  of  Free-Will  and  is  not  permitted  to  ex- 
ercise it,  by  following  his  own  Reasoning  Faculties  and 
Powers  WHERE  IS  HIS  FREEDOM? 

Every  Religion  and  the  so-called  Truths  of  In- 
spired writings,  depend  entirely  upon  the  testimony  of 
Man  himself.  The  evidences  brought  forward  by  him 
are  produced  as  proofs  of  the  Truth  of  his  assertions. 
Masonry  claims  and  positively  asserts  that  all  men 
have  the  Right  to  judge  of  the  Truth  of  the  claims 
put  forward,  and  to  examine  the  proofs  of  the  various 
so-called  "inspired"  writings  and  then  to  judge  them 
from  a  commonsense  standpoint.  Then  if  they  stand 
the  test  of  their  searching  investigations  it  is  Truth 
for  them. 

Man  becomes  what  he  WILLS  himself  to  be.  He 
can  never  get  outside  the  world  he  makes  for  him- 
self. Death  cannot  destroy  the  seeds  that  he  hath 
sown,  for  in  good  time  they  all  will  ripen  and  he  will 
reap  the  fruition  thereof.  No  confession,  no  repent- 
ance, no  sacrifice  or  imploring  of  God,  Pope,  Priest 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  65 

or  the  Devil  can  ever  change  the  Mighty  Law  of  Per- 
sonal Responsibility.  Whatsoever  a  Man  soweth,  that, 
and  not  something  else,  shall  he  reap.  The  hand  that 
smites  him  is  his  own.  That  which  we  are  doing  to- 
day and  shall  do  tomorrow  are  contributing  to  form 
the  true  character,  according  to  which  we  are  to  be 
judged.  A  man's  faith  belongs  to  himself  alone  and 
he  is  Personally  Responsible  and  Morally  Account- 
able for  his  Thoughts  and  Acts.  His  Freedom  con- 
sists, in  being  enabled  to  Think  and  Reason  for  him- 
self, without  let  or  hindrance,  from  any  source  at 
all  whatever.  He  should  strive  incessantly  to  sub- 
jugate the  animal  within  the  sanctuary  of  his  own 
heart.  He  should  strive  earnestly  and  incessantly  to 
keep  his  first  Promise.  When  he  has  conquered  Self, 
he  is  worthy  of  more  honor,  than  he  who  hath  con- 
quered a  thousand  cities,  because  he  has  conquered 
the  Kingdom  of  his  own  Soul.  In  doing  this  he  will 
have  kept  his  FIRST  PROMISE.  For  he  will  have 
learned  how  to  subdue  his  passions,  and  in  doing  this, 
he  will  have  improved  himself  in  Masonry. 

Every  Scottish  Rite  Mason,  who  is  true  to  his  vows, 
has  ever  labored  to  give  humanity  Freedom  of 
Thought,  Freedom  of  Speech  and  a  Free  Government, 
for  the  People  and  by  the  People.  And  every  Brother 
Master  Mason  who  has  the  good  of  the  Fraternity  at 
heart,  is  a  Priest  of  Truth,  of  Toleration,  of  Philosophy 
and  of  Rational  Liberty.  And  it  is  his  bounden  Duty. 
FIRST: — To  take  Tyranny,  Injustice  and  Unsurpa- 
tion,  by  the  throat  and  strangle  them.  And  by  the  as- 
sistance of  his  Brothers  endeavor  to  Free  the  Human 
Race  irrespective  of  Creed,  Caste  or  Color,  from  all 


66  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

who  would  enslave  it.  SECOND,  to  Free  his  own 
country  from  Despots  and  Despotism.  In  doing  this 
Masonry  will  give  to  the  People,  both  Temporal  and 
Spiritual  Freedom,  which  includes  all  the  inalienable 
RIGHTS  OF  MAN. 

To  ever  labor  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  human 
Race  is  the  bounden  Duty  of  every  Scottish  Rite  Ma- 
son. For  from  what  they  have  learned  in  our  Ineffable 
and  Philosophical  Degree,  they  will  positively  know, 
that  the  greatest  of  all  gifts  to  MAN  is  MANHOOD. 
They  will  also  know  that,  True  Manhood  can  never  be 
found  in  the  mumbling  chants  and  invocations  of 
Romish  Priests,  Secterianism  or  Religious  Dogmas 
and  Creeds.  Our  beloved  Fraternity  teaches  us  that 
our  main  Object  and  Duty  in  life  is,  to  do  our  Duty 
to  all  men,  even  to  the  neglect,  of  our  own  personal 
comfort.  It  also  teaches  us,  to  strive  to  make  others 
happy,  because  it  is  our  duty  to  do  so,  without  hope  of 
fee  or  reward.  Happiness,  will  surely  follow  the  Man, 
or  Mason,  who  Cheerfully  performs  his  Duty.  At  the 
same  time  self-gratification  should  never  be  the  incen- 
tive, to  do  good,  but  lo  do  it,  because,  it  is  Right  for  us 
to  do  so — Let  us  ever  remember,  that  in  plucking  the 
weeds,  from  our  neighbor's  garden,  we  plant  roses  in 
our  own.  But,  we  must  not  do  it  for  the  sake  of  the 
roses,  do  it,  because  it  is  our  own  Duty  to  do  so. 

God  commands  us  to  do  good,  so  the  volume  of 
the  Sacred  Law  informs  us.  And  Altruism,  has  ever 
been  taught,  by  all  the  great  Reformers,  long  centuries 
before  our  present  Christian  era.  It  is  still  taught 
and  preached,  but  is  seldom  or  never  practiced.  If  man 
would  only  practice  what  the  School  of  Natural 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  67 

Science  and  the  Scottish  Rite  of  Masonry,  of  the 
Southern  Jurisdiction  teaches,  Mankind  would  be  far 
happier  and  this  world  would  be  a  veritable  paradise. 

Masonry  teaches  all,  its  members,  to  recognize  in 
the  whole  Human  Race,  one  great  family,  of  which 
you  and  I,  my  dear  Brother,  are  a  part.  Every  true 
Master  Mason,  and  Knight  Kadosh,  will  ever  labor, 
for  the  uplift  of  his  fellow  man  and  Brother,  in  order 
to  improve  their  condition,  both  Mentally  and  Morally. 
It  is  their  Duty,  to  teach  them,  never  to  submit  to 
Oppression,  Injustice  and  Usurpation.  And  whose 
Watchwords  are — Humility,  Patience  and  Self-Denial. 
They  are  always  ready  and  willing  to  hazard  their 
lives,  for  the  welfare  of  their  country  and  the  interest 
of  humanity,  and  to  sacrifice  their  lives  for  their  fel- 
low man,  if  humanity,  may  be  benefited  thereby.  We 
should  also  remember,  that  we  should  sacrifice  our  per- 
sonal comfort  and  desires,  to  help  a  needy  Brother, 
we  should  give  to  him  from  our  own  earnings,  help 
him  physically  and  mentally.  Point  out  the  way  and 
path  to  every  man  and  Brother  that  leads  to  higher 
planes  of  Spiritual  unfoldment,  so  that  they  might  be 
enabled  to  come  to  a  proper  understanding  of  their 
own  Faculties,  Capacities  and  Powers.  We  must  never 
forget,  that  these  things  are  a  Duty,  that  we  owe  to 
every  man  and  Brother  Mason.  We  should  also  ever  re- 
member, and  never  forget,  that  wise  Aphorism  of 
EPICTETUS,  THE  ROMAN  SLAVE:  Be  not  di- 
verted from  your  Duty,  by  any  idle  reflections,  the 
silly  world  may  make  upon  you,  for  their  concerns  are 
not  in  your  power,  and  consequently,  should  not  be  any 
part  of  your  concern. 


68  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Do  good  to  all  men,  irrespective  of  Creed,  Caste  or 
Color,  is  the  Duty  of  every  Brother  Master  Mason. 
And  as  Brother  Rebold  says,  in  his  History  of  Ma- 
sonry: The  real  object  of  Free-Masonry,  may  be  sum- 
med up  in  these  words — To  efface  from  among  men, 
the  prejudices  of  caste,  the  conventional  distinctions 
of  color,  origin,  opinion,  nationality;  to  annihilate 
fanaticism  and  superstition ;  to  extirpate  national  dis- 
cord. And  with  it  extinguish  the  firebrand  of  War. 
In  a  word,  to  arrive  by  free  and  pacific  progress,  at  one 
formual,  or  model,  of  Eternal  and  Universal  Right. 
According  to  which  individual  human  beings  shall  be 
free,  to  develop  every  Faculty,  with  which  he  may  be 
endowed.  And  so  concur  heartily  and  in  the  fulness 
of  his  strength,  in  the  bestowment  of  happiness,  upon 
all.  And  thus  to  make  of  the  whole  human  race,  one 
family  of  Brothers,  united  by  affection,  Wisdom  and 
Labor. 

Let  me  assure  you  my  dear  readers  and  friends, 
Free-Masonry  antagonizes  no  creed,  but  tolerates  all. 
And  professes  the  teachings  of  the  Ancient  Wisdom 
that  have  descended  to  us  from  that  venerable 
Brotherhood  of  India,  to  which  I  have  so  often  re- 
ferred, in  this  work.  Free-Masonry,  seeks  Truth  alone, 
and  it  strives  to  lead  by  Degrees,  all  intellects,  to  Rea- 
son. It  allows  every  Brother,  to  profess  and  practice, 
any  Religion,  or  Philosophy,  that  his  conscience  may 
dictate  (providing  that  Religion  does  not  interfere 
with  the  inalienable  Rights  of  Man),  or  none,  if  it  be 
preferable  to  him.  Masonry  demands,  that  every 
Brother  believe  in  the  Supreme  Architect  of  the  Uni- 
verse. Our  beloved  Fraternity  is  a  philanthropic,  and 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  69 

scientific,  association,  of  Good  Men,  and  True,  Each 
and  every  one  believes  in,  and  teaches,  the  Fatherhood 
of  God  and  the  Brotherhood  of  Man.  It  also  asserts 
most  emphatically,  that,  not  only  every  Brother  Ma- 
son, but  every  Man  should  have  the  Right  of  Freedom 
of  Thought,  Freedom  of  Speech  and  Freedom  of 
Conscience. 

The  dogma  of  Masonry,  is  that  of  Zarathustra  and 
Hermas.  Its  Law  is  progressive  initiation.  Its  princi- 
ples regulated  Hierarchy  and  Universal  Fraternity.  It 
is  the  Heir  of  all  the  Ancient  Initiations.  It  is  the  de- 
pository of  the  secrets  of  the  Apocalypse  and  the 
Sohar.  It  is  the  preserver  and  conserver  of  the  An- 
cient Wisdom,  of  that  Venerable  Brotherhood  of  India, 
whose  unbroken  records,  go  back  ten  thousand  years, 
before  Christ  the  Master  preached  the  Beatitudes, 
throughout  Jerusalem  or  the  Jews  were  a  Tribe,  or  a 
People.  The  object  of  its  worship  is  MORALITY  and 
TRUTH,  which  is  represented  in  our  Lodge,  Chapters, 
Councils  and  Consistories  by  the  Light  that  it  dis- 
penses. 

Through  every  age  of  the  world's  history,  Masonry 
has  ever  been  the  Champion  of  the  Rights  of  all  Men. 
It  endeavors  to  Teach,  and  requires  the  brethren  to 
practice  and  disseminate  a  Knowledge  of  Truth  and 
Morality  among  all  men  throughout  the  world  Uni- 
versal. It  is  ever  striving  to  free  them  from  their 
animal  passional  nature.  It  also  works  incessantly  to 
free  all  men  from  Ignorance,  Bigotry,  Intolerance,  and 
Mental,  and  Spiritual  Slavery.  It  stands  today  at  the 
head  of  human  affairs,  and  it  will  most  assuredly  guide 
and  direct  us  safely  through  the  approaching  crisis 


70  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

to  the  inalienable  Rights  of  the  People — Liberty  of 
Thought,  Freedom  of  Conscience  and  a  Free  Govern- 
ment for  the  People  and  by  the  People. 

There  has  never  been  a  time,  when  our  most  illus- 
trious Fraternity  conspired  against  the  Government 
to  which  it  owed  due,  and  lawful  obedience.  It  is  al- 
ways ready,  and  willing,  to  draw  its  sword,  in  defence 
of  the  down-trodden,  and  oppressed,  of  every  country, 
so  that  they  may  enjoy  those  inalienable  Rights, 
spoken  of  above. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  71 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
Roman  Catholicism 

Now,  my  dear  Brothers  and  Readers,  I  ask  you: 
What  right  has  any  man  or  body  of  men,  to  persecute, 
and  condemn  another,  because,  he  cannot,  or  does  not, 
believe  as  they  command  him  to?  I  do  most  assuredly 
claim  that  no  man  should  be  censured,  or  praised,  be- 
cause he  believes  that  Christ  has  come.  Neither 
should  we  blame  or  condemn,  or  find  fault,  with  an- 
other, if  he  believes,  that  He  is  yet  to  come  Neither 
should  we  blame,  or  find  fault  with  another,  if  he  be- 
lieves that  He  never  will  come,  because  he  believes  that 
Christ,  or  the  Christ  principle,  dwells  in  the  heart  of 
every  man.  And  that  every  individual  must  work  out 
his  own  Redemption,  and  be  his  own  saviour,  by 
"LIVING  THE  LIFE." 

My  dear  Brothers,  if  you  do  not  put  your  Faith  in 
the  Dogma,  and  Creed,  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
you  should  not  be  persecuted,  or  censured.  If  the  so- 
called  "Light  of  the  New  Dispensation  is  not  visible  to 
you,  it  is  not  your  fault  nor  their  misfortune.  TRUTH 
to  one  may  not  be  TRUTH  to  another,  and  what  may 
appear  perfectly  consistent  to  me,  may  seem  to  be  the 
height  of  absurdity  to  you,  and  others.  But  my  dear 
Brother,  realize  the  fact,  your  thinking  so  does  not 
make  it  so.  Consequently  you  must  certainly  realize 
at  some  time,  that  it  is  one  of  the  greatest  of  crimes, 


72  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

for  any  Man,  or  body  of  Men,  to  condemn,  and  punish 
others,  because  they  do  not,  nor  cannot,  believe  as 
they  do. 

The  Hindu,  Brahmin,  Jew  or  Moslem,  has  just  as 
much  right,  to  condemn,  persecute,  and  punish  both 
Roman  Catholic,  and  Protestant,  as  we  have  to  revile, 
and  persecute  them.  There  is  no  particular  merit,  in  a 
man  being  either  Gentile,  Jew,  Mohammedan,  or 
Parcee. 

No  matter  what  a  man's  faith  may  be,  it  is  most  as- 
suredly dependent  in  a  great  measure,  upon  his  birth- 
place, and  to  the  Mother,  who  bore  him.  He  as  a 
child  drinks  in  with  his  Mother's  milk,  the  faith,  and 
belief  which  belongs  to  her.  We  shall  find  that  the 
teachings  he  learned  at  his  Mother's  knee,  are  in  many 
instances,  the  most  lasting,  because,  he  is  so  consti- 
tuted, as  to  need  some  system  of  worship,  concrete, 
and  tangible,  upon  which  to  focus  his  hopes  and  as- 
pirations. Consequently  he  follows  the  form  of  wor- 
ship, whose  basic  principles,  and  rules,  he  learned  at 
his  mother's  knee. 

From  the  above,  you  my  dear  reader,  must  cer- 
tainly realize  that  it  is  self-evident,  the  country  where- 
in we  are  born,  and  the  religious  beliefs  of  the  Mother, 
are,  evidently,  mighty  factors  in  the  production  of  a 
belief  in  one  thing,  and  disbelief,  in  another.  All  that 
Masonry  demands  of  her  applicants,  are  that — They 
have  attained  to  a  lawful  age,  that  they  are  Free-Born, 
and  that  they  have  been  heard  of  under  the  tongue  of 
Good  Reports.  But,  above  and  beyond  all  else,  Ma- 
sonry demands  a  belief  in  the  One  Great  God — THE 
SUPREME  ARCHITECT  OF  THE  UNIVERSE. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  73 

We  have  a  bitter,  vindictive  and  relentless  foe  in 
Jesuitry,  whose  motto  is— THE  END  JUSTIFIES 
THE  MEANS. 

You,  my  dear  Brother,  might  ask — Who,  and  what 
are  the  Jesuits?  I  answer  you — They  are  the  bitter, 
and  unrelenting  enemies,  of  all  men  who  are  not  Ro- 
man Catholics,  they  are  especially  antagonistic  to  all 
Free-Masons.  They  are  really,  and  truly,  the  militant 
wing  of  the  Romish  Church,  and  they  are  continually, 
and  persistently,  working  to  restore  the  Pope,  to 
temporal  power. 

The  head  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  is  called 
the  White  Pope,  whose  home  is  in  Rome  at  the 
Vatican. 

The  head  or  General  of  the  Jesuits,  is  called  the 
Black  Pope.  He  is  supposed  to  live  in  Rome,  where  he 
makes  his  headquarters.  He,  is  appointed  for  Life, 
and  he  has  unlimited  powers  placed  in  his  hands.  He 
maintains  and  appoints,  all  officers  under  him. 

Let  us  examine  the  form  of  Oath  taken  by  the 
Jesuit  and  which  was  published  by  "The  Standard"  of 
London,  England,  March  20th,  1901.  It  is  as  follows: 
"I.  A.  B.,  Now  in  the  presence  of  Almighty  God,  The 
Blessed  Virigin  Mary,  The  Blessed  Michael,  The 
Blessed  St.  John  The  Baptist,  The  Holy  Apostle  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Paul.  And  all  the  Saints  of  the  Sacred 
Hosts  of  Heaven,  and  to  you  my  Ghostly  Father.  Do 
declare  from  my  heart,  without  mental  reservation, 
that  His  Holiness  Pope  Leo,  is  Christ's  Vicar  General. 
And  is  the  only  true  head  of  the  Catholic,  or  Universal 
Church  throughout  the  Earth.  And  by  virtue  of  the 
Keys  of  binding,  and  loving,  given  to  His  Holiness 


74  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

by  my  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  he  hath  power  to  depose 
heretical  Kings,  Princes,  States,  Commonwealth's  and 
Governments,  all  being  illegal  without  His  Sacred 
Confirmation.  And  that  they  may  be  safely  destroyed. 
Therefore,  to  the  utmost  of  my  power,  I  shall,  and 
will  defend  this  doctrine,  and  His  Holiness  rights,  and 
customs,  against  all  usurpers,  especially  against  the 
new  pretended  authority,  and  the  Church  of  England, 
and  all  adherentism  regard  that  they,  and  she,  be 
usurped,  and  heretical,  opposing  the  Sacred  Mother 
Church  of  Rome.  I  do  renounce,  and  disown,  any  al- 
legience  as  due  to  any  heretical  King,  Prince,  or  State, 
named  Protestants,  or  Obedience  to  the  inferior  Magis- 
trates or  Officers. 

I  do  farther  declare  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  of 
England,  of  the  Calvinistic,  Hugenots,  and  others  of 
the  name  Protestants,  to  be  damnable,  and  they  them- 
selves are  damned,  and  to  be  damned,  that  will  not  for- 
sake the  same.  I  do  further  declare,  that  I  will  help, 
assist  and  advise,  all,  or  any  of  His  Holiness  agents,  in 
any  place  in  which  I  shall  be,  in  England,  Scotland, 
and  Ireland,  or  in  any  other  territory  or  Kingdom  I 
shall  come  to,  and  do  my  utmost  to  extirpate  the  here- 
tical Protestant  doctrines.  And  destroy  all  their  pre- 
tended powers,  legal,  or  otherwise. 

I  do  further  promise,  and  declare,  that  notwith- 
standing, I  am  dispensed  to  assume  any  religion,  here- 
tical, for  propagating  of  the  Mother  Church's  interest 
to  keep  sacred,  and  private  all  her  agents  counsels  from 
time  to  time  as  they  interest  me.  And  not  to  divulge 
directly,  or  indirectly,  by  word  writing,  or  circum- 
stances whatsoever.  But  to  execute  all  what  shall  be 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  75 

proposed,  given  in  charge,  or  discovered  unto  me,  by 
you  my  Ghostly  Father.  All  of  which  I.  A.  B.,  do 
swear  by  the  Blessed  Trinity,  and  Blessed  Sacrament, 
which  I  now  am  to  receive,  and  on  my  part  to  keep  in- 
violably, and  do  call  the  Heavenly,  and  glorious  Host 
of  Heaven,  to  witness,  these  my  real  intentions.  And 
to  keep  this  my  Oath,  In  testimony  hereof,  I  take  this 
holy,  and  blessed  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist,  and  wit- 
ness the  same  further  with  my  hand,  and  seal,  this — of 
— Ano  Dom,  etc. 

This  is  the  Oath  of  the  sword  for  all  Protestants 
and  all  protestant  nations.  They  are  now  occupying 
a  stronger  position  in  these  United  States  of  America, 
than  ever  before.  They  have  been  expelled  from 
many  countries,  because  they  were  a  menace  to  the 
Government  and  all  Religions  other  than  Roman 
Catholicism,  and  God  speed  the  day  when  they  will 
be  driven  from  the  Free  soil  of  America. 

Let  me  assure  you  my  dear  Brothers,  that  the 
Black  Soldiers  of  Loyola,  (the  Jesuits)  would,  if  it 
were  possible,  throw  the  world  back  again  into  the 
same  conditions  as  when  the  fires  flamed  throughout 
the  so-called  civilized  world  in  Auto-de-fee's,  of  the 
Romish  church.  The  Jesuits  have  always  been  the 
advocates  and  upholders  of  the  "NICOLAITAN" 
theory.  The  rule  of  the  priesthood  over  the  people, 
consequently  they  are  the  bitter  and  relentless  FOE 
of  all  that  tends  to  enlighten  and  educate  the  masses, 
such  as  our  Free  Secular  Schools,  a  Free  Press,  Free- 
dom of  Thought  and  Opinion,  by  which  I  mean  Re- 
ligious Freedom;  and  as  I  have  previously  said — A 
Free  Government  for  the  People  and  by  the  People. 


76  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Let  me  also  assure  my  dear  Brothers,  that  it  be- 
hoves every  true  Man  and  Mason,  to  stand  upon  their 
guard  against  the  interference  of  Jesuits  in  particular 
and  Roman  Catholics  in  general,  against  our  Free 
Secular  Schools,  which  are  conducted  for  the  purpose 
of  instructing  in  pure,  unadulterated  secular  learning, 
so  that  they  may  be  enabled  to  obtain  therein  a  thor- 
ough and  complete  knowledge  of  reading,  writing 
and  speaking  the  English  Language  correctly,  also 
arithmetic,  with  the  higher  branches  of  Mathematics, 
as  well  as  a  thorough  comprehension  of  History,  Ge- 
ography, etc.  All  of  which,  is  actually  necessary,  not 
only  for  the  future  benefit  of  our  American  citizens 
in  particular,  but  for  our  beloved  country  in  general. 
EVERY  FREE-BORN  AMERICAN  CITIZEN 
should  be  a  Man  of  education,  Intelligent  and  Refined. 
Men,  who  are  free  from  all  Bigotry  and  intolerance  of 
Creed,  Dogma,  Doctrine  and  Discipline  such  as  per- 
tain to  the  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church 
and  her  Jesuitical  Bigots. 

There  has  been  much  comment  about  Godless 
Schools,  promulgated  most  assuredly  by  our  bitter 
Foes,  the  Romish  priests  and  the  Jesuits.  My  dear 
Friends  and  Brothers,  it  is  the  Duty  of  our  Country 
to  teach  to  the  KNOWN  and  not  the  unknown.  Every 
Intellectual  man  will  most  assuredly  come  to  an  un- 
deistanding  of  the  Supreme  Architect  of  the  Uni- 
verse, if  he  be  permitted,  to  light  the  lamp  of  his  own 
reasoning  capacities  and  faculties  and  follow  the  dic- 
tates of  his  own  conscience,  by  Thinking  for  himself. 
No  true  American  man,  or  Mason,  will  ever,  under 
any  circumstances,  allow  either  Jesuit  or  Romish 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  77 

priest  to  attempt  to  compel  him  to  believe  as  he  or 
they  may  desire.  May  the  Good  God  preserve  our 
FREE  SCHOOLS  and  FREE  AMERICAN  INSTI- 
TUTIONS from  the  Ruthless  hands  of  what  Pope 
Pius  VII  called  his  Sacred  Militia,  The  Jesuits. 

The  Romish  priests  and  Jesuits  are  ever  and  al- 
ways working  and  plotting  to  enter  the  thin  end  of 
the  wedge  into  our  Free-Secular  Schools  and  destroy 
them.  Our  Laws,  Constitution  and  Declaration  of 
Independence  would  be  town  down  and  trampled  be- 
neath the  feet  of  the  bigoted  and  intolerant  Jesuits, 
and  a  repetition  of  the  horrors  of  the  damnable  Inqui- 
sition occur  as  it  did  in  the  Dark  Ages,  if  they  were 
in  power.  The  Eve  of  Saint  Bartholomew  would  be 
repeated,  not  only  here  in  our  own  country,  but  in  all 
others  that  were  not  thoroughly  under  the  dominion 
of  the  Romish  church. 

Papal  Rome  is  the  bitter  foe  of  all  English  speak- 
ing people  who  are  not  under  her  control.  If  she  can 
by  any  means  disrupt  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  her  aim 
will  be  accomplished.  Today  her  main  object  is  to  stir 
up  strife  and  discord  between  England  and  America 
and  thus  destoy  both  if  possible,  or  dominate  them. 
Then,  upon  the  ruins  of  two  of  the  grandest  nations 
of  the  earth,  she  would  raise  her  standards  and  rule 
the  world  with  a  rod  of  iron.  Her  long  war  against 
humanity  and  human  progress,  Science  and  Civiliza- 
tion, if  successful,  would  be  smothered  in  the  flame  of 
Auto  de  Fee's  and  Free-Masonry  would  be  stamped  out 
of  existence  by  those  Ruthless  and  Intolerant  Bigots 
— the  Jesuits  and  the  hierarchy  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church. 


78  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Let  me  quote  you  from  an  article  in  relation  to 
this  subject  by  H.  T.  B.,  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri, 
which  was  published  in  the  "Trestle  Board  of  June, 
1896."  'The  English  speaking  race,  rising  from  the 
sea  of  nations,  first  lighted  the  fires  of  Religious  Lib- 
erty in  the  British  Isles.  The  history  of  this  race,  for 
eighteen  hundred  years  has  been  a  continuous  strug- 
gle for  religious  and  political  freedom  against  the 
papal  hierarchy,  and  nearly  all  its  bloody  and  unceas- 
ing warfare  has  been  in  self-defense  or  in  defense  of 
others  of  like  faith,  or  for  the  purpose  of  extending 
the  faith  by  enlargement  of  area. 

Excommunicated  and  oppressed  at  times  by  nearly 
all  the  world,  at  the  instigation  of  Rome,  it  has  dis- 
rupted its  enemies  and  caused  them  to  cripple  each 
other  and  has  emerged  stronger  and  wealthier  than 
ever,  until  in  our  own  day,  one-third  of  the  world  and 
its  inhabitants  is  under  its  influence  or  direct  rule, 
and  the  end  is  not  yet.  With  all  branches  of  this  race 
united  no  other  power  in  the  world  can  hold  control 
and  Rome,  which  aims  at  universal  dominion,  is  well 
aware  of  this  fact.  ...  By  flattery  and  fanning 
the  flames  of  jealousy  she  strives  to  promote  ill-feel- 
ing between  us  and  our  natural  allies,  and  she  would 
make  us  believe  that  the  world  is  too  small  for  both, 
and  that  their  policy,  no  matter  what  it  is,  must  be 
necessarily  opposed  to  our  interests. 

She  urges  that  an  alliance  with  the  degraded  and 
financially  impoverished  nations  of  South  America 
despotism,  (masquerading  as  Republics)  with  their 
priest-ridden  and  ricketty  governments,  with  no  trade 
and  no  enterprise,  and  no  love  for  us  or  our  Free  in- 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  79 

stitutions,  is  preferable  to  the  Friendship  of  our  own 
Kith  and  Kin,  whose  flag  is  the  emblem  of  what  we 
hold  most  dear,  who  offer  Free  Ports,  Free  Schools, 
Free  Religious  Opinion,  Free  Welcome  and  Protec- 
tion to  all.  Who  if  she  extends  her  territory  makes 
no  restrictions  in  favor  of  her  own  subjects.  And 
under  whose  flag  the  Missionary  may  proclaim  his 
message  and  be  assured  of  PROTECTION. 
Who  if  she  erred  in  the  past  has  profited  by 
experience,  and  she  now  seeks  to  rule  by  wis- 
dom and  not  by  force.  And  she  has  beyond  all  con- 
tradiction, improved  the  condition  of  all  her  col- 
onies, and  each  and  every  one  of  those  colonies  are 
proving  their  Loyalty  and  Love,  by  sending  men  and 
munitions  of  war  to  defend  the  honor  of  the  Flag  that 
gives  to  each  and  all,  Freedom  in  the  fullest  sense  of 
that  word.  What  have  we  in  common  with  any  peo- 
ple in  the  world,  outside  our  own  Royal  Race?  On 
what  was  the  pretended  friendship  of  Russia  based 
some  years  ago  ?  Nothing  but  self-interest  and  rivalry 
of  England  and  the  desire  to  make  a  fool  of  us. 

Did  France  during  the  Revolution  assist  us 
through  Love,  or  because  she  hated  England? 

What  does  the  mongrel  races  of  Central  and  South 
America  care  for  us,  except  as  a  cat's  paw  to  pull  their 
chestnuts  out  of  the  fire,  or  as  a  defense  behind  which 
they  can  run  riot  and  be  impudent  at  will. 

If  Rome  loves  our  institutions  as  she  professes  to 
do,  why  does  she  not  essay  to  introduce  them  where 
her  WILL  is  sole  authority?  So  far  from  this  both 
here  and  in  Canada,  she  would  destroy  our  Free  pub- 
lic schools  if  she  could  and  so  far  from  upholding  our 


80  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Free  institutions,  with  her  followers  in  power,  she  has 
corrupted  our  nobly  conceived  Government,  until  it 
has  degenerated  into  a  mixture  of  spasmodic  anarchy 
aggravated  by  a  riot  of  Trusts,  dominated  by  the  Wire- 
pulling of  a  short-sighted  Plutocracy. 

Luckily  our  people  are  awakening  to  the  danger. 
The  foreigner  by  sentiment,  if  not  always  by  birth,  is 
wresting  the  sceptre  from  our  grasp,  and  we  are  in 
imminent  danger  of  losing  our  birthright. 

England,  like  ourselves,  by  reason  of  her  views, 
has  not  a  friend  in  the  world  and  undoubtedly  her  de- 
sire at  the  present  time  is  to  win  our  Love  and  Alli- 
ance, and  to  affect  this  she  is  willing  to  sacrifice  any- 
thing but  honor  and  self-respect.  There  is  room  for 
both  in  the  world.  What  she  cannot  control  herself 
she  would  only  be  too  glad  to  see  controlled  by  a 
friendly  Protestant,  English-speaking  people  like  our- 
selves, and  especially  to  save  it  from  the  clutches  of 
her  hereditary  foes — The  Church  of  Rome  and  her 
Sacred  Militia — the  Jesuits. 

Let  me  quote  you  my  dear  Brothers  and  readers, 
parts  of  two  speeches  that  were  made  by  two  Metho- 
dist ministers  at  the  Methodist  Convention,  held  in 
St.  Paul's  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  New  York 
City,  on  November  19,  1900.  Bishop  Goodsell  of  Ten- 
nessee, while  speaking  of  the  work  that  was  being 
done  by  their  missionaries  in  Southern  Europe,  said: 
"There  are  many  who  doubt  whether  we  have  done 
any  work  in  Italy,  the  land  of  superstition  and  priest- 
craft; whether  we  can  ever  hope  to  accomplish  any- 
thing there,  in  the  face  of  the  tremendous  press  of 
adverse  thought,  with  which  we  are  confronted.  The 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  81 

fact  is,  we  sent  one  of  our  workers  into  Italy.  He  soon 
made  up  his  mind  that  in  Rome  we  had  to  do  as  the 
Romans  do.  He  began  by  training  the  young,  by 
taking  them  into  our  schools  and  seminaries.  The 
work  is  slow,  but  its  value  has  been  recently  testified 
to  by  the  Pontiff  himself,  who  has  honored  us  by  ex- 
communicating everyone,  teachers  and  pupils  alike, 
connected  with  our  institutions  of  learning.  In  his 
effort  to  preserve  for  himself  the  triple  crown  of  pa- 
pacy, he  has  issued  a  sweeping  interdiction  against  the 
schools  and  every  one  passing  through  their  gates. 
This,  however,  has  only  made  us  more  determined  to 
wipe  out  a  system  which  has  created  out  of  a  former 
man  of  Empire,  a  cringing  beggar  with  a  monkey 
and  a  grind  organ." 

At  the  same  place  and  during  the  same  Conven- 
tion, The  Rev.  Dr.  C.  W.  Drees,  said:  "Christendom  is 
divided  into  two  camps,  with  Protestantism  on  one 
hand  and  Greek  and  Roman  Catholicism  on  the  other. 
The  time  is  upon  us,  when,  anew,  the  question  which 
appeared  in  the  Protestant  reformation  will  begin  to 
agitate  the  world  and  demand  to  be  pushed  to  their 
final  issue.  After  slumbering  through  four  centuries 
the  self-same  questions  were  awakened  by  the  last  act 
of  infamy  of  the  pontiff  in  declaring  himself  Infallible. 
Within  twenty-four  hours  after  that  blasphemous 
declaration  had  been  written  on  the  triple  crown  of 
Rome,  the  Prussian  armies,  invaded  Catholic  France. 
Forty-five  days  later  the  battle  of  Sedan  was  fought, 
with  Protestant  Prussia  the  victor,  and  twenty  days 
only  had  elapsed,  when  the  united  armies  entered  the 
"holy  city"  where  the  people  held  sway,  bringing  with 


82  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

them  car-loads  of  Bibles.  The  Pope  lost  his  temporal 
power,  and  since  that  day,  the  creed  has  been  weaken- 
ing. 

The  Roman  Church  at  one  time  held  sway  every- 
where, but,  now  that  church,  and  Spanish  domination, 
have  fallen  off  their  high  pedestals.  When  Spain  is 
arraigned  the  Catholic  Church  should  be  arraigned, 
with  that  power  as  co-respondent.  Ever  since  Issa- 
bella  signed  away  the  Liberty  of  Spain  to  the  Pope, 
there  has  been  an  illegitimate  alliance  between  State- 
craft and  Priestcraft,  against  human  Liberty  and  hu- 
man progress. 

In  our  late  revered,  Brother  General  Albert  Pike's 
answer,  to  the  letter  of  Pope  Leo  XIII,  known  as  the 
letter  "Humanum  Genus."  He  says:  "Thanks  unto 
the  God  of  Hosts,  from  whom  all  glories  are!  Free- 
Masonry  is  mightier  than  the  Church  of  Rome;  for 
it  possesses  the  invincible  might  of  the  Spirit  of  the 
Age,  and  of  the  convictions,  of  Humanity.  And  it 
will  continue  to  grow  in  strength,  and  greatness,  while 
that  church,  in  love  with,  and  doting  upon  its  old 
traditions,  and  incapable  of  learning  anything,  will 
continue  to  decay.  The  palsied  hand  of  the  Papacy, 
is  too  feeble,  to  arrest  the  march  of  human  progress. 
It  cannot  bring  back  the  obsolete  doctrine,  that  Kings 
reign  by  divine  right.  In  vain  it  will  preach  new 
crusades  against  Free-Masonry,  or  Heresy,  or  Re- 
publicanism. It  will  continue  to  sigh  in  vain,  for  the 
return  of  the  days  of  Phillip  II,  and  Mary  of  England, 
of  Loyola,  and  Alva,  and  Torqumada.  If  it  succeeds 
in  instigating  the  Kings  of  Spain,  and  Portugal,  to 
engage  in  the  work  of  extirpating  Free-Masonry, 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  83 

these  will  owe  to  it  the  speedy  loss  of  their  crowns. 
This  world  is  no  longer  in  a  humor,  to  be  saddled,  and 
bitted,  like  an  ass,  and  ridden  by  Capuchins,  and 
Franciscans.  Humanity  has  inhabited  the  fresh,  keen 
winds  of  Freedom,  and  escaped  from  companionship 
with  the  herds,  that  chew  the  cud,  and  the  inmates 
of  stables,  and  Kennels,  to  the  highlands  of  LIB- 
ERTY, EQUALITY  and  BROTHERHOOD. 

The  world  is  not  likely  to  forget,  the  infallible 
Pope  Urban  VII.  Baherina  set  his  signature  to  the 
sentence,  which  condemned  to  perpetual  imprison- 
ment, to  abjuration,  and  to  silence  Galileo  Galilei, 
who  it  is  known  avoided  being  burned  at  the  stake, 
by  denying  on  bended  Knees,  the  deductions  of  posi- 
tive science,  which  demonstrated  the  movements  of 
the  Earth,  etc. 

Nor  are  Free-Masons  likely  to  forget,  that  when 
the  Bull  of  Clement  XII,  which  Leo  XIII  revived,  and 
re-enacted,  was  published;  Cardinal  Firras  explained 
the  nature,  of  the  punishments  which  was  requested 
to  be  inflicted  on  Free-Masons.  And  what  the  kind 
of  service  was  which  the  Pope  demanded  of  the 
Secular  Arm. 

It  is  forbidden  he  said  ....  to  affiliate 
one's  self  with  the  Societies  of  Masons  .  .  .  . 
UNDER  PENALTY  OF  DEATH,  AND  CON- 
FISCATION OF  GOODS,  AND  TO  DIE  UN- 
ABSOLVED,  AND  WITHOUT  HOPE  OF  SALVA- 
TION. 

Who  will  be  audacious  enough  to  censure  us,  for 
replying  defiantly  to  the  decree,  which,  by  the  re- 
visor  of  the  Bull  of  Clement,  condemns  every  Free- 


84  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Mason  in  the  world  to  death,  and  confiscation.  And 
damns  him  in  advance,  to  die  without  hope  of  Salva- 
tion? The  world  has  not  forgotten,  that  when 
Charles  IX  of  France,  and  the  Due  de  Guise,  at  first 
disowned  responsibility  for  the  massacre  of  twenty 
thousand  Protestants,  and  others  on  the  eve,  and  after 
the  Eve  of  Saint  Bartholemew,  the  Catholic  clergy 
assumed  it.  Heaven  adopted  it,  they  said!  It  was  not 
the  massacre  of  the  Kings  and  the  Due.  IT  WAS 
THE  JUSTICE  OF  GOD.  Then  the  slaughter  re- 
commenced, of  neighbor  by  neighbor,  of  women,  of 
children,  and  of  children  unborn,  in  order  to  extin- 
guish families  the  wombs  of  the  mothers  were  cut 
open,  and  the  children  torn  out  of  them,  for  fear  they 
might  survive. 

Men  remembered  that  at  Saint  Michael,  the  Jesuit 
Auger,  sent  thither  from  the  College  of  Paris,  an- 
nounced to  Bordeaux,  that  the  Archangle  Michael 
had  made  the  great  massacre,  and  deplored  the  slug- 
gishness of  the  Governor  and  Magistrates  of  Bor- 
deaux. After  the  24th  of  August  there  were  feasts. 
The  Catholic  clergy  had  theirs  at  Paris,  on  the  28th, 
and  ordered  a  Jubilee,  to  which  the  King  and  Court 
went,  and  returned  thanks  to  God.  And  the  King 
who  proclaimed  that — He  had  caused  Coligni  to  be 
Killed,  and  said  that  he  would  have  poinarded  him 
with  his  own  hand,  was  flattered  to  intoxication,  by 
the  praises  and  congratulations  of  Rome.  Do  men 
not  remember  that  there  were  feasts,  and  great  gaities 
at  Rome,  on  account  of  the  massacre?  That  the  Pope 
chanted  the  Te  Deum  Laudamus,  and  sent  it  to  his 
son,  Charles  IX  (to  win  for  whom  the  whole  credit 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  85 

of  the  massacre,  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine  moved 
Heaven  and  Earth).  The  Rose  of  Gold?  was  coined 
by  Rome,  to  commemorate  it.  And  a  painting  of  the 
bloody  scene  was  made,  and  until  lately  hung  in  the 
Vatican. 

Free-Masonry  is  strong  enough  every  where  now, 
to  defend  itself,  and  does  not  dread  even  the 
Hierarchy  of  the  Roman  Church,  with  its  great  rev- 
enues, and  its  Cardinal  Princes,  claiming  to  issue 
the  deciees  and  Bulletins  of  God,  and  to  hold  the 
Keys  with  which  it  locks  and  unlocks,  at  pleasure,  the 
Gates  of  Paradise.  The  powers  of  Free-Masonry  too 
are  sending  their  words  to  one  another  over  the  four 
Continents,  and  the  great  Islands  of  the  Southern 
Seas.  Colonized  by  Englishmen,  who  speak  but  with 
only  the  authority  of  Reason  URBI  ET  ORBI  to 
men  of  free  souls,  and  high  courage,  and  quick  in- 
telligence. It  does  not  need  that  Free-Masonry 
should  take  up  arms  of  any  sort,  against  the  Church 
of  Rome.  Science,  the  wider  knowledge  of  what  God 
is,  learned  from  his  works;  the  irresistible  progress 
of  civilization,  the  Spirit  of  the  twentieth  century. 
These  are  the  sufficient  avengers  of  the  mutations, 
and  murders  of  the  long  ages  of  a  horrid  past.  These 
have  already  avenged  Humanity  and  Free-Masonry, 
need  not  add  another  word,  except  these,  that  there 
are  two  questions  to  be  asked,  and  answered,  there- 
unto demanded  of  all  Roman  Catholics,  in  the 
United  States,  who  are  loyal  to  the  Constitution  of 
Government,  under  which  they  live,  Patriotic  Citi- 
zens of  the  United  States :  Does  not  your  conscience 
tell  you,  that — what  is  now  demanded  of  you  by  Pope 


86  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Leo  XIII,  by  the  General  of  the  Jesuits  and  the  Chief 
Inquisitor  is— TO  ENGAGE  ACTIVELY  IN  A  CON- 
SPIRICY  AGAINST  THAT  CONSTITUTION  OF 
GOVERNMENT,  AND  THE  PRINCIPLES  ON 
WHICH  IT  IS  FOUNDED.  ARTER  THE  DE- 
THRONEMENT OF  WHICH  PRINCIPLES, 
THAT  CONSTITUTION  OF  GOVERNMENT, 
COULD  NOT  LIVE  AN  HOUR? 

If  you  cannot  see  it  in  that  light,  do  not  your  com- 
mon sense,  and  conscience  tell  you,  that — TO  AP- 
PROVE, AND  FAVOR,  AND  GIVE  AID,  AND  AS- 
SISTANCE TO  AN  OPEN  CONSPIRACY 
AGAINST  EVERY  OTHER  REPUBLIC,  AND 
CONSTITUTIONAL  MONARCHY  IN  THE 
WORLD.  AND  THE  PRINCIPLES  ON  WHICH 
THEY  ARE  FOUNDED,  IS  TO  PLAY  A  PART 
THAT  IS  INCONSISTENT  WITH  THE  PRINCI- 
PLES YOU  PROFESS  TO  BE  GOVERNED  BY 
HERE,  IS  IN  OPPOSITION,  TO  ALL  THE  SYM- 
PATHIES OF  THE  COUNTRY  IN  WHICH  YOU 
LIVE.  AND,  IS  HOSTILE  TO  THE  INFLUENCE 
OF  ITS  EXAMPLE  AMONG  THE  PEOPLE  OF 
OTHER  COUNTRIES,  TREACHEROUS  TO 
YOUR  OWN  COUNTRY,  AND  UNWORTHY  OF 
AMERICAN  CITIZENS.  You  will  have  to  answer 
these  questions!  for  they  will  not  cease  to  be  reiter- 
ated, until  you  do.  AND  NOT  BY  FREE-MA- 
SONRY ALONE. 

My  dear  Brothers  and  readers,  I  have  not  only 
given  you  my  own  opinions  and  ideas,  in  relation  to 
the  above.  But  I  have  also  quoted  from  other  sources 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  87 

in  order  to  bear  out  my  own  assertions  in  relation  to 
the  subject  of  FREE-BORN,  and  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic "Church."  I  will  finish  with  one  more  quotation, 
from  "A  Lexicon  of  Free-Masonry"  by  A.  G.  Mac- 
key,  M.  D.,  which  is  as  follows: 

The  constitutions  of  our  Order  requires  that  every 
candidate  shall  be  Free-Born,  And  this  is  necessary, 
for,  admission  into  the  fraternity  involves  a  solemn 
contract,  no  one  can  bind  himself  to  its  performance 
who  is  not  the  Master  of  his  own  actions.  Nor  can 
the  man  of  servile  condition,  or  slavish  mind,  be  ex- 
pected to  perform  his  Masonic  duties,  with  that  free- 
dom, fervency  and  zeal  which  the  laws  of  our  insti- 
tution require.  After  reading  the  above  and  what  I 
have  said,  you  should  thoroughly  understand,  why  a 
child,  born  of  bigoted  Roman  Catholic  parents,  could 
never  become,  a  good,  and  true  member  of  our  Fra- 
ternity, especially  if  he  has  been  trained  in  one  of 
their  parochial  schools. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  is  held  together  by 
principles  and  purposes,  the  exact  reverse  of  what  our 
Constitution  and  Declaration  of  Independence  stands 
for.  All  the  tremendous  powers  of  this  great  organi- 
zation is  given  into  the  hands  of  the  Pope  and  his 
college  of  Cardinals.  They  wield  absolute  power. 
They  command  absolute  obedience.  They  claim  that 
the  greatest  sin  that  can  be  committed,  is  Disobedi- 
ence, because  Disobedience  creates  disorder  and  en- 
genders schism.  The  masses  obey  and  their  obedi- 
ence is  compelled  by  superstition,  ignorance  and 
fear. 


88  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

They  have  arrayed  against  us,  what  every  Free- 
Born  American  citizen  would  die  for,  and  that  is 
—the  Love  of  Liberty  and  the  cause  of  Truth. 

America  glories  in  her  Liberty.  She  has  demon- 
strated and  emphasized  that  fact,  by  placing  con- 
spicuous in  New  York  harbor,  a  stupendous  statue 
of  the  Goddess  of  Liberty  enlightening  the  world.  This 
statue  stands  there,  to  represent  Freedom  of  Thought, 
Freedom  of  Speech,  A  Free  Press  and  a  Free  Gov- 
ernment for  the  People  and  by  the  People. 

The  time  has  passed  when  Pope  could  humble 
Kings  and  compel  obedience  to  his  mandates.  Free- 
Masonry  and  Education  have  taken  Ignorance  by  the 
throat  and  is  now  shaking  the  Life  out  of  it.  Peo- 
ple are  now  begining  to  Think  for  themselves.  And 
when  they  do  come  to  a  knowledge  of  the  fact — that 
they  must  work  out  their  own  redemption,  All  man- 
kind will  be  Free-Born. 

Today  the  Vatican  is  terribly  afraid  of  a  new  move- 
ment within  the  body  of  the  Romish  Church  by 
Modernists  or  Neo  Catholics.  They  are  working 
earnestly  and  intelligently  to  rejuvinate  the  Cath- 
olic Church  and  do  away  with  the  absolute  power  of 
the  Pope.  These  Modernist  claim  that  this  One  Man 
power  is  unscriptural,  unhistorical,  un-Catholic  and 
entirely  wrong.  Their  most  earnest  desire,  is  to  re- 
juvenate Catholicism  and  reform  the  Church.  To 
make  it  a  truer,  purer,  church,  wherein,  each  and 
every  member  be  allowed  more  Freedom  of  Thought. 
They  desire  to  show  to  the  Hierarchy  that  a  Free- 
Press,  in  a  Free  country,  is  far  more  powerful  than 
ecclesiastical  authority. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  89 

Let  us  follow  the  example  set  us  by  Canada  and 
Bar  Catholic  teachers  from  our  Free  Schools.  The 
Board  of  Education,  realizing  the  danger  to  their 
children,  prohibited  Roman  Catholics  from  teaching 
in  their  Public  Schools  and  passed  a  resolution  to 
that  effect  in  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada,  on  the  2nd 
day  of  April,  1909. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  91 


CHAPTER  IX. 
Prerequisites  of  Candidates 

THIRD — The  candidate  must  be  of  Lawful  Age. 
By  the  American  Constitution.  The  candidate  for 
Initiation  and  membership  into  a  regular  constituted 
Lodge  of  Master  Masons,  must  have  attained  the  law- 
ful age  of  twenty-one  years.  But  in  other  countries 
the  son  of  a  Mason  is  allowed  to  make  application  for 
membership  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years. 

No  doubt  you  all  know,  that  Operative  Mason's 
tools,  are  used  by  Free-Masons,  to  symbolize  some- 
thing other  than  what  they  are  used  for.  And  I  de- 
sire to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact,  that — There  is 
one  tool  and  a  very  important  one  which  is  used  by 
the  Operative  Mason  that  is  not  found  upon  the 
trestle  board  of  the  American  Ritual  and  that  is  a 
Lewis.  It  is  a  very  peculiar  kind  of  instrument  made 
of  iron,  it  is  used  for  the  purpose  of  lifting  heavy 
blocks  of  stone.  The  stone  mason  cuts  a  slanting 
cavity  in  the  top  of  the  stone,  he  then  drops  in  the 
jaws  of  the  Lewis,  attaches  the  tackle  to  it,  the  stone 
is  then  hoisted  to  its  intended  place  and  put  in  posi- 
tion. 

In  the  English  Ritual  it  finds  a  conspicuous  place 
upon  the  tracing  board  of  the  entered  apprentice. 
Under  the  English  jurisdiction  the  Lewis,  symbolizes 
Strength,  because  it  is  used  for  the  purpose  of  lift- 


92  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

ing  the  heaviest  of  stones.  It  also  symbolizes  the  Son 
of  a  Master  Mason.  Because  the  Son  is  strongest  at 
that  age.  And  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Son  to  help  and 
support  the  failing  strength  of  his  father,  when  old 
age  approaches. 

The  English  Constitution  permits  a  Lewis  or  Son 
of  a  Master  Mason  to  be  Initiated  at  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen years.  But  it  distinctly  specifies  that  all  other 
candidates  must  have  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one 
before  they  can  present  their  petition  or  application 
for  Initiation. 

In  France  the  Son  of  a  Master  Mason  is  called  a 
Louveteau  (young  wolf),  and  he  like  the  Lewis  in 
England  is  also  permitted  to  present  his  application 
for  Initiation  and  membership  into  the  Fraternity  at 
eighteen  years  of  age. 

FOURTH — The  applicant  must  come  of  his  own 
FREE  WILL  AND  ACCORD.  The  scriptures  say: 
"Ask  and  ye  shall  receive.  Seek  and  ye  shall  find. 
Knock  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you."  Masonically 
speaking,  to  what  does  these  questions  allude?  I 
simply  leave  them  to  be  answered  by  your  own  indi- 
vidual intelligence.  I  will  say,  however,  that  no  man 
was  ever  asked  to  become  a  member  of  our  beloved 
Fraternity,  he  must  ask  for  admission  of  his  own 
Free  Will  and  Accord.  No  man  is  ever  solicited  to 
enter  into  a  Masonic  Lodge  for  membership  therein. 
Should  any  person  express  a  desire  to  become  a  Free- 
Mason  to  a  member  of  any  Masonic  Lodge,  with 
whom  he  is  acquainted,  it  is  the  duty  of  that  Brother 
to  tell  him  how  to  proceed.  Upon  no  consideration 
will  a  member  of  a  Masonic  Lodge  solicit  any  one  to 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  93 

enter  the  sacred  portals  of  Free-Masonry.  If  a  man 
was  known  to  have  been  solicited,  that  man  would  not 
be  allowed  to  proceed,  he  never  could  pass  between 
the  columns  that  Establish  in  Strength  the  Harmony 
and  Unity  of  Free-Masonry.  Every  Man  must  come 
of  his  own  Free  Will  and  Accord,  otherwise  he  could 
not  be  received.  For  out  of  his  own  mouth  he  would 
condemn  himself,  and  he  would  be  rejected.  To  him 
who  comes  in  this  way  and  gives  The  Right  Knock, 
he  will  be  permitted  to  enter  and  be  received  as  all 
others  who  have  gone  before.  We  know  then  that  his 
Faith  is  well  founded,  consequently  he  is  allowed  to 
enter  and  search  for  himself. 

In  searching  among  the  sublimely  beautiful  Al- 
legories and  Symbols  of  Masonry,  our  candidate  or 
Masonic  Student,  will  find  a  most  profound  depth  of 
Moral  philosophy,  embodied  in  each  and  every  De- 
gree. He  will  begin  to  realize  that  Ritualism  is  not 
Masonry.  He  will  begin  to  realize  that  there  is  some- 
thing more,  in  the  philosophy  of  Masonry  than  Grips, 
Words  and  Tokens.  He  will — if  he  has  been  Duly 
and  Truly  prepared,  positively  knows,  that  the  ritual- 
istic ceremonies  of  Initiation,  covers  up  and  hides  a 
most  profound  and  beautiful  progressive  Scientific 
Philosophy.  And  he  will  positively  know  that  it  did 
not  require  the  building  of  a  Temple  by  Solomon, 
King  of  Israel,  to  demonstrate  the  profound  system  of 
Morality  that  belongs  to  our  beloved  and  glorious 
Fraternity.  He  will  begin  to  realize  that  the  won- 
drous Knowledge  and  Wisdom  contained  in  the  veiled 
symbols  of  Masonry  are  not  only  of  the  most  profound 
interest,  but,  sublimely  grand  and  beautiful. 


94  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Our  Neophyte  will  no  doubt  have  some  difficulty 
endeavoring  to  find  the  true  meaning  of  many  of  our 
Masonic  Symbols.  He  can  never  hope  to  understand 
the  faintest  glimmer  of  their  true  meaning,  until  he  has 
Meditated  and  concentrated  his  Mind  upon  them.  For 
Concentration  of  the  Mind  is  the  Key  to  Esoteric 
study.  Therefore,  in  order  to  understand  our  system 
of  Morality,  Allegories,  Legends  and  Symbols,  both 
the  Candidate  and  Masonic  Student  must  Think  and 
Reason  for  themselves. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  95 


CHAPTER    X. 
Black  Sheep 

FIFTH — The  candidate  or  applicant  must  "come 
well  recommended."  That  is,  every  Man  who  desires 
to  become  a  Free-Mason,  must  be  recommended  to 
the  Officers  and  members  of  the  Lodge  by  some  well- 
known  Brothers  before  any  action  can  be  taken." 
But,  my  dear  readers,  understand  that  this  recom- 
mendation will  not  admit  him  to  membership  in  the 
Lodge  or  into  the  body  of  our  Fraternity.  It  requires 
something  other  than  mere  recommendation  from 
some  Brothers  who  may  possibly  have  never  seen  the 
Applicant  for  the  Degree  and  that  some  thing  is: 

SIXTH — That  he  shall  have  been  heard  of  under 
the  Tongue  of  Good  Report.  It  is  right  here,  my  dear 
Brothers,  that  every  Masonic  Lodge  should  safe- 
guard its  portals  most  carefully.  It  is  far  better  to  be 
safe  than  sorry.  Ever  remembering  that — It  is  qual- 
ity, not  quantity,  that  should  be  admitted  into  our 
Masonic  Fraternity.  None  but  those  who  are  in- 
tellectualy  qualified  should  be  permitted  to  enter  our 
portals.  None  should  be  admitted  or  introduced  into 
pur  Fraternity  whom  we  could  not  introduce  into  the 
bosom  of  our  family.  In  fact,  no  rough  stone,  that 
cannot  be  formed  into  a  Perfect  Ashlar,  should  be 
used  in  the  foundation  of  Craft  Masonry.  And  it 
should  be  the  Duty  of  every  Brother  to  be  vigilant 


96  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

and  watchful  and  see  to  it  that  none,  but  good  men 
and  true,  are  permitted  to  pass  between  the  Columns. 

When  a  man  sends  in  his  petition  for  member- 
ship, in  a  Masonic  Lodge,  that  petition  must  be  signed 
by  the  Master  Masons  of  that  Lodge.  Thus  he  comes, 
well  recommended.  But,  this  recommend,  will  not  ad- 
mit him  to  membeiship  in  a  Masonic  Lodge.  It  will 
only  recommend  him  as  one  whom  the  signers  con- 
sider to  be  "Worthy  and  Well  Qualified."  But  it  is 
very  often  the  case,  that  all  those  who  signed  the  ap- 
plicant's petition,  never  saw  the  man,  whose  petition 
they  signed  and  who  they  are  recommending.  Let  me 
explain  more  fully.  A  Brother  Master  Mason  having 
found  a  friend  or  acquaintance,  who  is  exceedingly 
anxious  to  become  a  Mason.  He  furnished  him  with 
a  petition  and  fills  it  out  for  him,  possibly  signs  it  him- 
self and  tells  his  friend,  I  will  attend  to  it  and  let  you 
know  all  about  it  when  the  time  comes.  The  first 
meeting  night  of  his  Lodge  he  goes  into  the  ante-room 
or  the  Lodge  room,  as  the  case  may  be.  Very  soon 
some  Brother  comes  along  with  whom  he  is  well  ac- 
quainted to  whom  he  says:  "Say,  Joe,  I've  got  a 
candidate  who  wants  to  join  our  Lodge.  He  is  a  good 
boy,  I've  got  his  fee,  put  your  name  down  here."  Joe 
signs  the  petition,  some  other  Brother  is  roped  in  the 
same  way,  taking  the  voucher  of  the  one  and  the 
signature  of  the  other  Brother  as  an  evidence  of 
Faith,  of  Truth  and  Right. 

The  petition  is  presented  in  the  usual  way  and  is 
acted  upon.  The  Master  appoints  an  examining  com- 
mittee of  three  Master  Masons  to  examine  the  candi- 
date and  see  for  themselves  whether  or  not  the  candi- 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  97 

date  or  applicant  is  Worthy  and  Well  Qualified  to  be 

Initiated  and  receive  the  Degrees. 

Now,  if  the  examining  committee  does  their  Duty, 
they  will  investigate  thoroughly  and  endeavor  to  find 
out  all  about  him.  Assuring  themselves  that  he  is 
FREE-BORN,  and  that  he  is  Worthy  and  Well  Quali- 
fied to  enter,  be  Received  and  Initiated  into  our  Fra- 
ternity. The  utmost  care  should  be  exercised  by  the 
examining  Committee  in  searching  out  the  True 
Character  of  the  solicitant.  They  should  not  upon 
any  consideration  depend  upon  the  reputation  of  the 
petitioner  for  this  reason — It  is  not  always  safe  to  de- 
pend upon  the  reputation  of  any  one.  They  should  re- 
member that  the  status  of  their  Lodge  depends  en- 
tirely upon  the  examining  committee.  It  is  not  the 
Master  of  the  Lodge  or  his  Officers,  nor  the  members 
of  the  Lodge  who  should  be  held  responsible  for  the 
admission  of  "Black  Sheep."  But  it  lies  entirely  in 
the  hands  of  the  examining  committee. 

The  Examining  Committee  should  be  charged  by 
the  Master  of  the  Lodge,  not  to  look  at  the  financial 
condition  of  the  Lodge.  Neither  should  the  Master 
himself  try  to  beat  the  record  of  he  who  occupied  the 
Oriental  chair  before  him.  And  the  committee  should 
be  requested  to  question  the  petitioners  thoroughly 
and  carefully,  as  to  their  Motives  and  Purposes  in 
seeking  admission  into  the  Fraternity.  Let  them  take 
time  to  do  their  work  thoroughly  and  make  their  re- 
port truthfully.  They  should  do  their  whole  duty  not 
only  to  the  applicant,  but  to  their  Lodge.  Then  when 
it  comes  to  the  Lodge  to  do  their  duty  they  will  most 
assuredly  do  it,  in  accord  with  the  finding  of  the  ex- 


98  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

amining  committee.  Because  every  Brother  knows 
that  IF  THEY  have  done  their  Duty  the  Lodge  can 
make  no  mistake  in  voting  in  accord  with  their  inves- 
tigations. Thus  you  will  understand,  my  dear  Broth- 
ers, that  the  Status  of  the  Lodge  lies  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  the  examining  committee  and  not  with  the 
Master,  Officers  and  members  alone. 

My  dear  Brothers,  I  have  given  you  my  opinion 
in  relation  to  the  Duties  and  Responsibilities  of  the 
Examining  Committee,  appointed  by  the  Most  Wor- 
shipful Master.  And  before  closing  this  subject  I  de- 
sire to  say  that — no  member  of  a  Masonic  Lodge, 
should  be  too  eager  to  sign  a  petition  or  vouch  for  a 
man  of  whom  he  knows  comparatively  nothing.  Not 
until  the  Brother  knows  something  definite,  about  the 
applicant,  other  than  a  casual  acquaintance.  Not  un- 
til he  knows  something  reliable  in  relation  to  his 
character,  should  he  offer  to  sign  a  petition  and  pre- 
sent it  to  the  Lodge.  The  kind  of  applicants  every 
Lodge  require  are  those  who  are  worthy  and  well 
qualified,  to  Receive  what  we  have  to  Give.  Such  an 
one  are  what  we  need  in  all  our  Lodges,  Chapters, 
Councils  and  Consistories.  Therefore,  my  dear 
Brothers,  look  to  the  interest  of  your  Lodge,  as  well 
as  to  character  of  the  applicant,  before  doing  any- 
thing. If  you  are  not  positively  certain  in  your  own 
Mind,  that  he  will  not  be  a  true  Worker  and  Loyal  to 
the  Cause  of  Equity,  Justice  and  Right,  ask  him  to 
get  some  other  one  to  take  his  name  in.  It  is  as  I  have 
previously  said,  better  to  be  Safe,  than  Sorry.  And 
then  guard  the  portals  of  your  Lodge  in  the  usual 
manner. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  99 


CHAPTER  XL 
Antiquity  of  Masonry 

Before  going  any  farther  we  will  go  back  to  Egypt 
to  prove  the  antiquity  of  Masonry  from  the  two  ob- 
elisks called  Cleopatras  Needles.  These  wonderful 
obelisks  were  originally  erected  at  Heliopolis  in  B.  C. 
1500,  by  Thothmes  III,  one  of  the  greatest  of  Egyptian 
Pharoahs,  in  order  to  commemorate  victories  over  his 
enemies,  in  the  "Golden  Age  of  Egypt."  They  were 
brought  from  that  great  city  of  the  Sun  Heliopolis  for 
the  express  purpose  of  decorating  the  temple  of 
Caesar  (The  Caesercum)  in  Alexandria,  dur- 
ing the  reign  of  Tiberius.  One  of  these  stupendous 
monoliths  was  given  to  the  English  government  by 
Mohammed  Ali,  and  after  considerable  delay  it  was 
finally  shipped  to  England  in  the  year  1877,  where  it 
eventually  arrived,  having  passed  through  great  dan- 
ger of  loss  by  shipwreck.  And  it  stands  today  upon 
the  Thames  embankment,  a  relic  of  one  of  Egypt's 
grandest  Monarchs.  The  dimensions  of  this  stone 
are  sixty-eight  feet  long  and  seven  feet  eight  inches 
across  the  base.  The  other  one  was  given  to  this 
country  (America)  by  the  Khedive.  And  it  was 
brought  to  New  York  by  Commander  Goringe  in  the 
year  1880.  The  obelisk  is  seventy-one  feet  long  and 
seven  feet  seven  inches  at  the  base,  measured  across 
the  face  of  the  stone.  I  have  often  sat  upon  the  com- 


100  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

panion  stone  as  it  laid  lengthwise  beside  this  mono- 
lith, deciphering  the  hieroglyphics  and  pondering  upon 
the  glory  that  belonged  to  a  people  who  had  a  greater 
knowledge  of  the  Mechanical  Arts  and  Sciences  than 
we  posses  today.  Men  who  builded  such  stupeduous 
and  magnificent  monuments  in  the  hoary  civilizations 
of  the  dim  and  misty  ages  of  the  past.  When  our  fore- 
fathers were  digging  clams,  with  stone  hatchets  in  the 
lagoons  of  Europe  and  the  Altars  of  the  Druids  were 
running  red  with  the  blood  of  human  sacrifice.  What 
a  sweep  backward,  must  the  imagination  take,  in  order 
to  appreciate  the  almost  bewildering  stretch  of  time, 
from  the  present  day  of  this  twentieth  century  to  the 
day  when  Eliola  founded  a  Branch  of  The  Great 
School  in  the  early  ages  of  Egyptian  civilization. 

Both  of  these  obelisks  were  quarried  in  Syene,  at 
the  first  cataract  of  the  River  Nile.  And  it  is  com- 
posed of  the  same  kind  and  quality  of  granite  as  that 
in  Pompey's  pillar.  They  were  erected  to  honor  one 
of  Egypt's  mighty  warriors,  nearly  thirty-five  cen- 
turies ago.  And  yet,  now,  they  are  the  admiration  of 
people,  not  in  existence  when  this  great  and  powerful 
King  conquered  the  Marharania  of  Mesopotamia  and 
blazoned  upon  their  stony  sides  the  deeds  that  he  had 
done  to  thoroughly  establish  his  Kingdom  upon  the 
banks  of  the  River  Nile,  in  the  civilizations  of  a  far 
away  past. 

When  Commander  Goringe  lowered  this  magni- 
ficent monolith  from  its  pedestal  in  Alexandria  in 
order  to  ship  it  to  America,  the  workmen  found 
beneath  the  stone  a  number  of  Masonic  emblems, 
such  as  an  apron,  a  trowel,  etc.  The  discovery  of 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  101 

these  emblems,  which  had  been  placed  beneath  this 
mighty  monolith  by  our  ancient  Brethren,  must  most 
assuredly  demonstrate  to  the  present  generation  that 
the  peculiar  Rites  and  ceremonies  practiced  by  the 
speculative  Masons  (?)  of  the  twentieth  century  in 
erecting  and  dedicating  their  monuments  and  tem- 
ples, were  not  only  performed  by  the  practical  opera- 
tive Masons  at  the  begining  of  our  present  era,  but 
in  every  age  of  the  world's  history.  This  goes  to 
prove  the  verity  of  our  Rituals  in  the  statement  that 
—Masonry  has  existed  from  time  immemorial  and  that 
the  most  intelligent  men,  in  every  age  of  the  world's 
history  have  been  members  of  our  most  Illustrious 
Fraternity. 

I  do  not  wish  my  readers  to  believe  implicitly  in 
what  I  say  in  order  to  prove  the  Origin  and  Antiquity 
of  Masonry  and  from  whence  it  came,  etc.  But,  in 
relation  to  "Cleopatras  Needles,"  let  me  ask  you  to 
procure  and  read  very  carefully  "The  Obelisk  and 
Free-Masonry"  by  John  A.  Weisse,  M.  D.  I  am  sure 
it  will  give  you  "More  Light"  in  Masonry. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  103 


CHAPTER  XII. 
Arab  Masonry 

Brother  W.  H.  Kingsbury,  like  all  other  Masonic 
Students,  was  extremely  interested  in  the  account  of 
the  travels  of  Brother  Rawson  through  Arabia,  Pales- 
tine and  Syria,  where  he  had  especially  investigated 
Masonry  as  practiced  by  the  Druses.  For  that  rea- 
son I  shall  go  into  this  subject  fully  and  comprehen- 
sively from  his  investigations  and  my  own.  He  says: 
"The  Master  represents  the  unknown,  the  unseen,  the 
all-powerful.  And  sits  in  the  place  of  honor,  whence 
he  delivers  his  orders  to  his  assistants  who  are  ap- 
pointed at  the  time  of  the  meeting.  The  candidate  is 
prepared — partly  clothed — and  after  a  strict  examina- 
tion under  the  direction  of  the  Master  the  candidate 
is  led  before  him  screened  from  the  assembly  by  a 
shawl  held  up  by  two  Brothers.  He  is  then  required 
to  answer  certain  questions  as  in  our  own  Lodges. 
He  is  then  examined  as  to  his  intellectual  develop- 
ment, very  much  like  the  candidate  for  the  first  de- 
gree in  the  Scottish  Rite.  Yet  not  a  single  word  is 
said  about  religious  faith,  or  creed,  not  even  as  to  be- 
lief in  Diety.  By  them  it  is  presumed  that  all  rational 
men  are  conscious  of  a  Supreme  existence,  whether 
or  not  it  is  defined  in  words  or  Symbols.  The  very 
word  Allah  (God)  is  an  exotic  in  Arabia.  The  Be- 
douin idealizes  the  race  and  imagines  it  personified 


104  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

into  what  he  calls  the  Abram,  the  Great  Father, 
usually  written  among  us  Abraham,  from  whom  are 
derived  all  living  men  and  to  whom  they  all  return  at 
death.  The  only  world  of  being  they  know  is  the 
present  and  the  only  things  worth  notice  are  those  re- 
lating to  Man.  Their  Masonry,  is  therefore,  a  means 
of  securing  a  better  life  here,  without  any  reference 
to  any  other  past  or  future. 

The  idea  of  collective  man  (humanity)  is  very  an- 
cient and  its  teachings  are  simple — That  man  was  de- 
rived from  the  great  source,  that  he  returns  to  the 
same  and  that  it  is  his  duty  to  make  life  as  important 
as  possible.  First  for  himself,  which  means  with  the 
Arab  a  discharge  of  Duty  to  others  for  the  sake  of  its 
return  to  himself.  The  Will  of  the  Sheikh  (Master)  is 
the  Law  of  the  Lodge.  But  the  Will  of  the  Master, 
must  be  guided  by  the  ancient  Law  which  is  unchange- 
able and  inevitable.  The  teachings  of  the  Lodge  en- 
lightens the  conscience  and  lifts  the  neophyte  above 
himself,  into  a  prevision  of  motives,  the  only  sure 
guarantee  of  Morality. 

The  notion,  which  has  grown  into  a  belief,  that 
an  injury  done  to  any  member  of  the  race,  will  reflect 
upon  any  doer  of  the  deed,  not  as  an  accident  but  as 
a  necessity  of  Law.  They  consider  this  to  be  a  Law 
of  Nature — Learning  chiefly  through  observation,  the 
Arab  sees  in  the  frequent  exercise  of  the  Will  of  the 
Sheikh,  an  apparent  check  or  interference  with  the 
law  of  Nature.  But,  experience  teaches  him,  through 
more  careful  observation  that  the  Law  invariably  re- 
asserts itself.  The  Abram  is  the  ideal  of  excellence  in 
human  life.  The  esoteric  teaching  and  work  of  the 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  105 

Lodge  would  be  entirely  out  of  place  here  and  in- 
telligible to  only  a  few  initiates.  Consequently,  a 
general  idea  of  the  objects  and  purpose  of  the  Lodge 
will  be  far  more  acceptable  to  the  reader. 

There  is  no  such  thing  as  Masonic  literature 
among  the  Arabs  of  the  desert.  Outside  the  walled 
cities  of  the  coast.  But  within  the  lodges  of  those 
cities,  there  is  plenty  of  Masonic  literature,  but  no 
true  Masonry.  Their  rituals  in  the  cities,  is  com- 
posed of  a  mass  of  garbled  innovations,  put  there  by 
the  many  Europeans  who  located  in  those  cities  and 
affiliated  with  them.  And  they,  like  the  Prestons, 
Webbs  and  Cross',  have  woven  into  those  rituals, 
such  utter  absurdities,  that — to  the  intellectual  Ma- 
sonic Student,  it  is  perfectly  ridiculous.  The  True 
Arab  Mason,  never  upon  any  consideration,  records 
anything  except  in  his  memory.  There  can  never  be 
any  paper  Brother  among  them — No  book  Mason, 
and  to  advance  the  candidate  must  have  obtained 
what  he  has  learned,  like  all  those  who  had  preceded 
him— FROM  MOUTH  TO  EAR. 

Masonry  in  the  desert,  among  the  Bedouins,  is  the 
privilege  of  the  very  few.  None  but  those  who  can 
come  well  recommended  can  even  hope  to  be  admitted 
into  their  midst  as  a  brother.  Masonic  knowledge  is 
an  unqualified  passport  and  introduction.  A  very 
interesting  feature  of  the  Craft,  is  this — when  one 
proposes  to  go  on  a  journey  through  a  disturbed,  or 
dangerous  part  of  the  country,  some  trusty  brother 
or  brothers  are  selected  to  whom  the  traveller  is  de- 
livered. And  the  Masonic  tie  is  renewed  between 
them  when  the  guardians  became  responsible  for  the 


106  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

ward,  even  to  the  sacrifice  of  their  life,  in  his  defense. 
This  custom,  never  fails  of  commanding  respect,  even 
between  hostile  tribes.  Except,  the  traveller  be  guilty 
of  shedding  blood,  not  in  self-defense.  The  protec- 
tion of  Women  and  Children,  is  an  obligation  that  is 
never  neglected.  Any  shortcoming  in  this  matter, 
would  heap  dishonor  on  the  head  of  the  erring  one. 

Literature  has  changed  the  character  of  our  Craft 
in  so  many  points  that  careful  study  is  required  to  as- 
certain the  ancient  meaning  and  practice.  And  even 
the  closest  application  sometimes  fails  in  tracing  an 
ancient  origin  for  some  things  in  frequent  use  in  the 
Lodge  and  elsewhere  by  the  brethren.  No  such  in- 
novation (removal  of  an  ancient  landmark)  is  possi- 
ble in  the  desert,  where  the  traditions  of  all  the  tribal 
Lodges,  correct  the  errors  that  may  have  crept  in 
through  some  over-zealous  person  or  worker.  The 
language  used  in  the  Arab  Lodge,  is  not  that  of 
modern  literature,  but  it  is  that  of  the  early  ages, 
known  as  YOKTAN  in  the  centre  of  Ishmael  to  the 
West  of  Yemen  in  the  South.  The  earliest  language 
that  has  been  preserved  is  poetic.  The  Ritual  of  the 
modern  Lodge  is  rhymed  questioned  and  answered  in 
the  choicest  terms,  according  to  the  grammar  of  the 
present  idiom,  which  also  is  the  oldest.  To  the  philo- 
logist those  items  are  proof  of  the  antiquity  of  our 
Fraternity.  More  convincing,  even  than  monuments 
in  stone,  which  can  be  made  in  every  age.  While  lan- 
guage must  grow  and  is  not  made. 

The  ancient  Egyptians  recorded  in  hieroglyphs, 
writings  and  pictures,  the  whole  of  their  Rites  and 
ceremonies  which  portray  to  us  of  the  present  day, 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  107 

the  condition  of  the  Fraternity  and  those  matters 
which  existed  over  four  thousand  years  ago.  And  by 
careful  investigation  and  examination  of  what  has 
been  recorded  by  those  ancient  people  in  their  hiero- 
glyphs, writings  and  pictures  we  shall  find  that  they 
symbolize  and  teach  the  same  grand  lessons  and  the 
same  profound  and  sublimely  beautiful  philosophy  as 
are  taught  in  our  own  beloved  Scottish  Rite  philoso- 
phy. Although  they  are  distributed  through  the  sev- 
eral degrees  from  the  First  to  the  Thirty-Third. 

The  work  in  an  Arab  Lodge,  shows  a  very  close 
connection  between  the  modern  and  the  ancient 
Brotherhood  of  Egypt  and  Arabia.  It  also  establishes 
the  antiquity  of  the  origin  of  the  Bedouin  Lodge. 
There  is  not  a  word  in  use  in  the  modern  Lodge  that 
has  any  reference  to  modern  discoveries  in  science. 
Or  to  the  political  and  religious  changes  of  the  last 
twenty  centuries.  NEITHER  CHRIST  NOR  MO- 
HAMMED ARE  MENTIONED.  This  fact  opens  a 
charming  vista  to  the  antiquarian  and  philologist. 
The  cost  of  indulgence  in  this  storehouse  of  antiquity 
is  a  local  residence  among  the  Bedouin  Arabs  and  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  their  language  and  customs. 

WITH  THE  ARAB  THE  INSTRUCTION  OF 
THE  LODGE  IS  A  PREPARATION  FOR  A  BET- 
TER LIFE.  WITH  THE  EGYPTIAN  IT  WAS  A 
PREPARATION  FOR  DEATH.  The  Arabs  still 
lives  in  the  same  social  conditions  in  which  history 
noticed  him  forty  centuries  ago.  While  the  Egyptian 
ceased  to  exist  as  a  Nation  about  twenty  centuries  ago. 
How  much  these  different  results  were  due  to  their 
peculiar  ideas,  is  as  yet  an  unsolved  problem.  Arab 


108  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Masonry  furnishes  a  beautiful  emblem  of  eternity, 
whose  cycles  are  marked  by  supreme  efforts  for  the 
redemption  of  mankind,  from  the  slavery  of  Ignorance 
and  Superstition.  While  the  Craft  in  our  day  lends 
itself  for  the  perpetuation  of  errors  peculiar  to  the 
ideas  of  a  great  many  of  our  Christian  ministers  of 
our  Protestant  Churches.  And  MORE  ESPECI- 
ALLY TO  THE  PRIESTS,  BISHOPS  AND  THE 
HIERARCHY  OF  THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC 
CHURCH. 

That  mysterious  Asiatic  peninsula,  called  Arabia, 
ever  seems  to  be  a  geographic,  historic  and  political 
wonder.  For  while  Empires,  like  Assyria,  Persia, 
India,  Greece  and  Rome,  were  changing  and  vanish- 
ing. Arabia  and  Ishmaels  children  remained  immu- 
table. The  Assyrians,  Persians,  Egyptians,  Greeks 
and  Romans  tried  in  vain  to  subjugate  Hagar's  pro- 
geny. They  stand  today,  with  their  language,  man- 
ners, customs  and  traditions,  where  they  stood  three 
thousand  years  ago.  Renan  and  Maspero  have  lately 
given  to  the  world  some  valuable  hints  on  that  mys- 
terious people. 

The  similarity  of  the  various  rites  of  Ancient  Ma- 
sonry and  the  Mysteries,  must,  most  assuredly  dem- 
onstrate to  the  Masonic  Student  that  they  all  had 
their  origin  in  some  one  primitive  source.  No  mat- 
ter where  we  force  our  investigations,  in  either  India, 
Persia,  Egypt  or  any  other  eastern  country.  We  shall 
find  that  the  same  harmonious  and  beautiful  philoso- 
phical system  of  Ethics,  etc.,  has  been  perpetuated  by 
certain  Rites  and  ceremonies  and  illustrated  by  sym- 
bols in  all  those  Eastern  countries,  as  well  as  our  own. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  109 

This  fact  clearly  proves  that  although  the  people  who 
practiced  them,  taught  the  same  sublime  philosophy 
and  believed  the  same  grand  Truths  and  used  the  self- 
same symbols,  were  in  many  instances  widely  sep- 
arated one  from  the  other.  Yet,  notwithstanding  this 
fact,  it  must  certainly  prove  to  the  Masonic  Student, 
that  Masonry  originated  from  some  one  source.  They 
will  also  fully  realize  the  fact  that  Masonry,  with  all 
its  profound  philosophies,  Ethics,  Symbolry,  Legends 
and  Allegories,  never  could  have  originated  or  de- 
veloped among  the  practical  operative  builders  of  Eu- 
rope. He  will  positively  know  that  our  beloved  Fra- 
ternity came  down  to  us  through  the  long  drifting 
centuries  from  The  Land  of  The  Vedas — The  birth- 
place of  our  great  ancestors — The  Aryans  of  India— 
And  from  a  Venerable  Association  or  Brotherhood  of 
Perfect  Masters  of  our  own  Royal  Race. 

In  my  endeavors  to  prove  to  you,  my  dear  Broth- 
ers, the  Origin  and  Antiquity  of  our  beloved  Fra- 
ternity, I  have  quoted  from  other  writers,  so  that  you 
might  be  enabled  to  get  the  opinions  of  men  who  have 
travelled  and  searched  throughout  the  world  as  I. 
Therefore,  if  you  will  read  over  very  carefully,  what  I 
have  written  in  relation  to  Arab  Masonry,  you  will 
most  assuredly  find,  that — There  was  no  Book  of  the 
Law  when  Abram  drove  Hager  and  Ishmael  into  the 
desert  with  only  a  jug  of  water  and  a  Loaf  of  Bread. 
But  before  entering  upon  this  subject  permit  me  to 
quote  you  from  Brother  Hewit  Brown  32°: 

"Masonic  traditions  cannot  hope  to  escape  exami- 
nation." This  is  just  what  every  Masonic  student 
would  like  every  member  of  the  Royal  Craft  to  do. 


110  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

For  when  it  is  examined,  if  it  will  not  stand  the  test 
it  would  disintegrate,  fall  asunder  and  take  its  place 
among  many  other  exploded  legends  of  the  past.  To- 
day there  is  a  spirit  abroad,  which  does  not  hesitate  to 
grasp  antiquity  by  the  throat,  stare  into  its  wrinkled 
face  and  demand  upon  what  authority,  or  right,  rea- 
son of  authentic  history  it  has  founded  its  pretentions 
to  be.  I  myself  especially  request  every  Brother 
Mason  to  investigate  and  search  for  himself  and  Think 
and  Reason  for  himself.  Do  not  believe  anything, 
I  may  say  or  write  until  you  find  that  it  is  true.  (If 
you  think  it  false  reject  it).  In  doing  so  I  am  posi- 
tively certain  that  they  will  come  to  the  same  conclu- 
sions as  myself,  that — our  beloved  Fraternity  is  as  I 
have  herein  before  said,  a  Living  Institution,  destined 
to  have  part  in  all  great  Thoughts  and  Deeds  of  the 
world's  to-morrow.  What  it  stands  for  and  what  it 
teaches  to  Men  and  Masons,  will  point  out  the  way 
that  leads  to  LIGHT  and  TRUTH,  which  will  enable 
every  Masonic  student,  not  only  to  understand  and 
fully  comprehend  his  "First  Promise,"  but  how  to 
keep  it.  They  will  also  prove  Masonry  to  be  a  most 
profound  scientific  philosophy.  That  it  teaches  to 
every  initiate  the  duty  he  owes  to  his  God,  to  his  coun- 
try, his  neighbor  and  to  himself,  and  that — Masonry 
is  the  depository  of  an  ancient  system  of  scientific 
knowledge,  that  the  Wisdom  belonging  to  the  Fra- 
ternity is  for  the  express  purpose  of  helping  human- 
ity on  the  higher  planes  of  spiritual  development, 
throughout  the  world  universal.  That  it  originated 
under  the  shadow  of  the  Hindu-kush  mountains 
from  a  Venerable  Association  of  Masters,  who  had 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  111 

learned  to  KNOW,  TO  DARE,  TO  DO  and  To  keep 
silent. 

Before  going  farther,  I  want  to  repeat  what 
Brother  Rawson  discovered  in  his  travels  through 
Arabia,  etc.,  and  what  Brother  W.  H.  Kingsbury  re- 
corded, because  I  desire  thoroughly  to  impress  on 
your  mind  and  soul,  'That  the  work  in  an  Arab  Lodge 
shows  a  close  connection  between  the  members  of  the 
ancient  brotherhood  of  India,  Egypt  and  Arabia,  and 
also  established  the  origin  of  the  Bedouin  Lodge. — 
There  is  not  a  word  in  use  in  the  modern  lodge  that 
has  any  reference  to  modern  discoveries  in  science, 
or  to  the  political,  or  religious  changes  of  the  last 
twenty  centuries.  Neither  Christ  nor  Mohammed  is 
mentioned.  This  fact  opens  a  charming  vista  to  the 
antiquarian  and  philologist." 

What  I  want  my  readers  to  thoroughly  understand 
is  that  the  Arab  Mason  in  the  Bedouin  lodge  could 
not  have  been  obligated  on  either  our  Bible  or  the 
Koran,  because,  as  I  have  already  said,  neither  Christ 
nor  Mohammed  are  mentioned.  There  is  one  thing 
certain  and  that  is  the  Neophyte  who  was  received 
into  the  lodges  of  Arabia,  Egypt,  Persia  and  India 
must  have  assumed  obligations  and  they  must  have 
been  sworn  or  obligated  upon  something,  which  they 
considered  to  be  the  most  sacred  symbol  known  by 
them.  Therefore,  in  order  to  find  what  that  symbol 
or  emblem  was,  let  us  search  the  writings  of  the  an- 
cient Hebrews  and  we  shall  find,  that  One  of  the 
most  sacred  emblems  or  symbols  of  those  people  was 
the  organs  of  generation,  or  Man's  Trinity.  This  fact 


112  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

is  demonstrated  all  through  all  the  writings  of  these 
ancient  people. 

One  of  the  strongest  proofs  to  me  of  the  sacred- 
ness  of  the  generative  organs  of  man,  is  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  twenty-third  chapter  of  Deuteronomy. 
There  we  are  told  that  he  who  is  wounded  in  those 
parts  or  by  some  unfortunate  accident  loses  his  gen- 
erative organs,  could  not  enter  into  the  congregation 
of  the  Lord.  See  also  Leviticus  21-20. 

From  the  above  we  find  that  the  trinity  of  man 
was  looked  upon  as  something  different  from  the 
other  parts  of  the  body,  and  it  was  held  as  the  most 
sacred  emblem  or  symbol  known  to  man,  because  it 
made  man  a  creator.  Such  things  being  the  case,  we 
find  that  in  the  days  of  Abram,  Isaac  and  Jacob  the 
people  swore  by  or  upon  those  organs  of  generation 
or  the  creative  powers  of  man,  because  they  were  em- 
blematic of  God,  the  Creator.  In  Genesis,  Chapter 
24,  2d  verse,  we  find  Abram  telling  the  chief  of  all  his 
servants  to  "put  I  pray  thee  thy  hand  under  my  thigh" 
and  swear  by  the  Lord  God  of  Heaven  to  do  his 
(Abram's)  bidding.  Again  we  find  in  Genesis,  Chap- 
ter 47,  Verse  29,  that  Jacob  asks  the  same  thing  of 
his  son  Joseph,  "put  I  pray  thee  thy  hand  under  my 
thigh,"  when  he  made  Joseph  swear  to  take  him  out 
of  the  "Land  of  Egypt,"  and  bury  him  with  his  father. 
And  Joseph  obligated  himself  upon  the  generative 
organs  of  his  father  Jacob. 

Inman  in  his  "  Ancient  Pagan  and  Modern  Chris- 
tian Symbolism,"  tells  us  that— "under  thy  thigh  is  a 
euphenism,  for  the  words  'upon  the  symbol  of  the 
Creator.' '  I  may  point  to  two  other  passages  in 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  113 

which  the  thigh,  (translated  in  the  authorized  version 
— Loins)  is  used  periphrastically.  See  Genesis, 
Chapter  46,  Verse  26,  and  Exodus,  Chapter  1,  Verse 
five. 

During  the  Franco-Egyptian  war,  an  Arab  had 
been  accused  of  being  a  spy  by  General  Kleber.  The 
man  not  only  vehemently  denied  it,  but  when  he  saw 
himself  still  distrusted  he  uncovered  himself  before 
the  whole  military  staff  and  swore  upon  his  trinity, 
that  he  was  guiltless. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  the  Eastern  countries  in 
the  dim  dawn  of  prehistoric  ages,  as  well  as  in  the 
present  day,  the  virile  organs  of  man  were  and  are 
held  in  the  greatest  of  veneration  by  the  different 
peoples  of  these  countries,  and  I  do  most  firmly  be- 
lieve that  long  before  their  sacred  writings  were  in  ex- 
istence the  Craftsmen  of  those  ancient  days  were 
most  assuredly  Obligated  upon  their  own  generative 
organs,  or  the  Linga-stone  or  symbol  of  the  procreative 
forces  of  nature. 

If  the  candidate  was  not  sworn  upon  either  of  the 
above  he  would  most  certainly  have  to  be  obligated 
on  their  emblem,  such  as  the  Sun-a-flame — a  burning 
torch — an  erect  serpent,  or  a  tree  or  stone  that  repre- 
sented the  phallus  or  creative  powers  of  men. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  115 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
Book  of  the  Law 

From  what  I  have  said  above  we  are  positively 
certain  that  there  was  no  book  of  the  Law  in  the 
days  of  Abraham  and  we  are  also  positively  certain 
that  there  was  no  book  of  the  law  when  Moses  was 
lifted  from  the  flowing  waters  of  the  River  Nile.  And 
we  also  positively  know  that  there  could  have  been 
no  Book  of  The  Law  as  it  is  today,  when  King  David 
bought  the  threshing  floor  from  Oman  the  Jubusite 
whereon  to  erect  the  temple  to  the  Most  High  God  of 
Israel. 

In  taking  up  this  subject  of  the  "BOOK  OF  THE 
LAW"  I  will  quote  you  from  my  "Egypt,  The 
Cradle  of  Ancient  Masonry,"  because  I  feel  that  it 
will  interest  every  Masonic  student  and  will  prove  a 
most  interesting  subject,  especially  to  all  Royal  Arch 
Masons.  Their  ancient  traditions,  which  have  been 
preserved  for  so  long  a  time  within  the  Chapter  will 
now  have  to  undergo  a  test  of  investigation  in  order 
to  prove  the  verity  of  the  assertion,  "BOOK  OF  THE 
LAW."  But,  no  matter  if  we  are  able  to  prove  that  it 
never  existed,  as  is  generally  understood,  the  teach- 
ings that  underlie  the  sacred  symbol  will  ever  remain 
one  of  the  grandest  features  pertaining  to  the  rites 
and  ceremonies  that  should  be  in  the  Master  Mason's 
degree  where  it  rightfully  belongs. 


116  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

It  is  not  with  any  irreverence  toward  the  so  called 
"BOOK  OF  THE  LAW"  that  I  approach  this  sub- 
ject, but  it  is  with  the  most  profound  veneration  for 
the  writings  contained  in  the  Old  Testament.  I  sim- 
ply wish  to  show  you  my  dear  friends  and  compan- 
ions, that  it  could  not  have  been  what  it  is  generally 
supposed  to  be,  the  canon  of  the  Old  Testament  and 
the  New  combined,  known  as  "The  Holy  Bible,"  which 
I  have  frequently  seen  used  in  the  ceremonies  of  the 
Exaltation. 

I  have  inquired  in  many  countries,  by  what  au- 
thority it  is  used,  but  could  get  no  definite  informa- 
tion in  relation  to  my  questioning.  Now,  this  "Book 
of  The  Law"  that  is  supposed  to  have  been  found  and 
generally  used  in  the  Chapter  of  the  Royal  Arch  is 
purely  and  simply  the  Holy  Bible.  I  shall  not  enter 
into  a  long  discussion  upon  the  various  translations  of 
the  Bible  or  try  to  prove  which  one  is  the  most  cor- 
rect, but  we  will  endeavor  to  find  out  something  about 
the  "Book  that  was  lost." 

History  informs  us  that  after  the  captivity,  when 
the  Jews  were  rebuilding  their  temple  under  their 
leader  Zerubbabel,  and  while  this  was  going  on  three 
very  earnest  sojourners  applied  for  and  received  per- 
mission to  assist  in  the  good  work  and  that  one  of  the 
very  first  things  that  resulted  from  their  labors  was 
the  discovery  of  the  "Book  of  The  Law,"  which  is  said 
to  have  been  lost  since  the  time  when  Solomon  lived 
and  reigned.  The  "Book  of  The  Law,  long  lost  was  now 
found  and  they  gave  praise  to  the  Lord  and  from  that 
time  it  has  been  preserved  with  other  discoveries  that 
were  made  at  or  about  the  same  time. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  117 

Now,  the  only  place  in  the  Bible  that  refers  to  the 
discovery  of  the  "Book  of  The  Law,"  is  in  Kings, 
Chapter  22  and  Verse  8,  wherein  it  tells  us  that  Hil- 
kieh,  the  High  Priest,  told  Shapan  the  Scribe,  that  he 
had  discovered  the  "Book  of  The  Law,"  in  the  House 
of  the  Lord,  and  possibly  this  discovery  was  the  origin 
of  the  Book  itself.  But,  let  us  who  are  searching  for 
LIGHT,  distinctly  remember  that — there  is  one  thing 
positively  certain,  and  that  is — the  book  that  was 
found  by  Shapan  or  our  ancient  companions,  did  not, 
nor  could  not  have  included  the  "New  Testament," 
with  the  account  of  The  Life  and  Death  of  Christ  the 
Master,  nor  anything  concerning  him.  For  that  rea- 
son we  must  omit  that  and  confine  ourselves  strictly 
to  the  Old  Testament,  if  we  desire  to  find  the  "Book 
of  The  Law." 

Now,  if  we  are  very  careful  in  our  investigations, 
we  shall  find  that  there  is  no  positive  certainty  about 
the  compilation  of  the  various  writings  that  go  to  make 
up  the  Old  Testament,  or  by  whom  or  in  what  manner, 
or  what  time  they  were  compiled.  According  to  some 
of  the  Hebrew  Rabbis,  Ezra  was  the  one  who  began 
the  compilation  of  the  many  historical,  poetical  and 
prophetical  writings  that  composed  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. But  we  do  not  consider  this  information  as 
thoroughly  reliable.  There  is  one  thing  positively 
certain,  however,  and  that  is — the  compilation  was 
not  made  until  after  the  exile.  Ezra  may  possibly 
have  commenced  the  compilation  of  this  great  work, 
which  was  no  doubt  continued  by  his  successors,  who 
eventually  completed  it  somewhere  about  the  early 
part  of  the  second  century  B.  C. 


118  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

In  order  to  accomplish  this  great  undertaking,  it 
was  necessary  to  write  new  works,  based  upon  the  tra- 
ditions of  these  people,  until  at  last  the  work  was 
completed. 

We  now  have  the  Old  Testament,  a  very  valuable 
and  important  collection  of  writings,  but  it  is  not  the 
Book  for  which  we  are  looking.  This  compilation  is 
not  the  "Book  of  The  Law,"  although  it  may  contain 
it.  Therefore,  in  order  to  make  our  search  complete 
and  our  investigations  thorough,  we  shall  have  to 
strike  out  those  books  that  were  composed  after  the 
reign  of  Solomon  and  search  for  the  book  that — had 
been  lost  for  so  many  hundred  years.  Consequently 
we  will  begin  our  elimination  with  Ezra,  Joel,  Chron- 
icles, Jeremia,  Ecclesiastes,  Daniel,  Malachi  and  Jo- 
nah, because  these  works  were  written  after  the  Jews 
had  been  freed  from  their  bondage  in  Persia,  and  in 
fact,  long  after  Ezra  had  died  and  their  temple  had 
been  completed.  We  must  also  throw  out  those  beau- 
tiful poetical  works,  The  Psalms,  Lamentations  and 
The  Song  of  Solomon,  as  well  as  the  whole  of  those 
profound  philosophical  aphorisms  that  are  contained 
in  the  Book  of  Proverbs. 

We  shall  also  have  to  eliminate  Samuel,  Ruth,  Es- 
ther, Judges,  Kings,  Micah,  Amos,  Hosea,  and  in  fact, 
we  are  compelled  to  exclude  the  whole  of  the  various 
works,  or  books,  that  go  to  make  up  the  canon  of  the 
Old  Testament.  With  the  exception  of  the  first  five 
books,  or  the  Pentateuch,  which  is  composed  of  Gen- 
esis, Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers  and  Deuteronomy. 
Joshua  may  have  been  written  at  about  the  same  time 
that  the  preceding  works  were  composed,  but  we  will 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  119 

put  Joshua  aside  with  the  others  and  continue  our 
search  among  the  five  remaining  books,  or  the  Penta- 
teuch, for  the  Long  lost  "Book  of  The  Law." 

There  is  one  thing  that  is  positively  certain  and 
that  is — previous  to  the  exile,  there  was  no  Old  Tes- 
tament such  as  we  have  today.  There  were,  however, 
a  great  many  writings,  no  doubt  held  in  great  venera- 
tion by  the  Jewish  people.  The  first  form  that  all 
these  promiscuous  and  scattered  writings  assumed 
was  the  Pentateuch,  or  the  first  five  books  that  had 
been  compiled  and  they  were  bound  together  into  one 
volume,  which  was  really  and  truly  a  compendium  of 
History  and  Law.  It  began  with  the  creation  of  the 
Universe,  in  Exodus,  and  ending  with  the  death  of 
Moses,  in  Deuteronomy.  These  five  books  have  been 
generally  ascribed  to  the  Jewish  Law-giver — Moses,. 
but,  from  the  general  consensus  of  opinions  of  various 
authorities  and  from  my  own  personal  investigations, 
I  find  that — no  less  than  four  different  people  were 
the  authors  of  these  books.  In  order  to  converge  them 
and  make  them  appear  the  work  of  one  mind  and 
hand,  the  redactor  was  compelled  to  put  in  addition 
to  his  own  writings  so  as  to  make  them  appear  and 
read  as  one  continuous  history.  But  if  you,  my  dear 
Brothers  will  go  over  these  works  carefully  you  will 
find  for  yourselves  where  they  have  been  pieced  or 
connected  together  and  that  after  they  were  com- 
pleted and  formed  into  one  volume,  it  was  called  and 
known  as  "THE  LAW." 

Now  if  we  search  carefully  in  this  so-called  "Book 
of  The  Law,"  we  shall  most  assuredly  discover — three 
distinct  legal  codes  in  the  Pentateuch,  and  yet  not 


120  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

one  of  them  refers  to  either  of  the  others  and  in  some 
cases  they  are  contradictory.  Now  this  fact  alone 
would  most  assuredly  prove  that  they  were  written  by 
different  authors,  or  writers. 

The  FIRST  collection  is  said  to  have  been  given 
by  God  to  Moses  at  Mount  Sinai  and  is  known  as  the 
"Book  of  the  Covenant."  See  Exodus,  Chapter  20. 
For  an  account  of  the  SECOND,  see  Leviticus,  Chap- 
ter 26.  The  THIRD  and  last  code  we  find  in  Deuter- 
onomy and  it  was  given  to  Moses  on  the  East  side  of 
the  Jordan.  See  Deuteronomy,  Chapter  4,  Verse  44, 
to  the  end  of  the  Chapter;  and  just  before  his  death, 
in  the  Land  of  Moab,  in  sight  of  the  "Promised  Land," 
which  the  Lord  showed  unto  Moses,  but  into  which 
He  would  not  permit  him  to  enter,  see  Deuteronomy 
Chapter  34. 

Now  my  friends  and  readers,  I  do  not  desire  to  en- 
ter into  a  long  discussion  upon  the  statement  that 
"Moses  was  not  the  sole  author  of  the  Pentateuch, 
but  I  will  simply  say  that  if  there  be  any  companion 
who  is  in  doubt  upon  this  subject,  they  can  easily  ver- 
ify my  assertions  by  searching  for  the  proof  and  judg- 
ing for  themselves. 

From  the  above  we  find  that  the  Old  Testament 
begins  with  the  creation  of  the  world  and  ends  with 
the  prophets,  some  time  during  the  fourth  century 
B.  C.,  after  the  Babylonian  captivity.  We  also  find 
that  a  compilation  of  these  writings  were  collected 
and  thus  formed  the  canon  of  the  Old  Testament.  In 
our  search  for  the  "Book  of  The  Law"  we  were  com- 
pelled to  cut  out  nearly  all  the  books  of  that  sacred 
volume  in  our  search  for  that  which  had  been  lost. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  121 

We  now  find  ourselves  with  the  Pentateuch,  which 
contains  three  distinct  legal  codes  to  which  I  have  al- 
ready referred.  One  of  these  must  be  the  "Book  of 
the  Law,"  for  they  existed  long  before  Solomon  lived 
and  reigned,  and  it  was  no  doubt  one  of  these  that 
was  deposited  in  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  with  the 
Pot  of  Manna  and  the  Budding  Rod.  And  before 
concluding  this  subject  I  desire  further  to  state  that, 
the  canon  of  the  Old  Testament  was  not  and  could 
not  have  been  in  existence  during  the  reign  of  either 
King  David  or  his  son  Solomon.  We  certainly  admit 
and  say,  that  there  were  at  that  time  only  a  few  scat- 
tered and  promiscuous  writings,  which  were  no  doubt 
held  as  sacred  by  a  great  many  people  at  that  time. 
These  writings  composed  a  history  and  a  variety  of 
legal  codes  that  were  considered  to  have  been  written 
by  Moses  and  were  known  as  the  Pentateuch  or 
the  "Law  of  Moses,"  but  which  I  have  clearly  proven 
were  written  by  different  peoples  at  different  times 
and  here  I  leave  it  in  your  hands. 

In  relation  to  the  above,  there  is  one  thing 
that  I  know  we  shall  all  agree  upon,  and  that  is — the 
canon  of  the  Old  Testament  is  not  the  "Book  of  The 
Law." 

From  what  I  have  written  you  will  be  enabled  to 
trace  Masonry  from  the  earliest  ages  down  through 
the  ruins  of  Empires  of  every  age  to  the  present  day, 
and  to  our  beloved  Rite  in  America.  In  so  doing  you 
will  positively  know,  that  our  Fraternity  could  not, 
nor  did  not  originate  in  the  Guilds  and  Builders  of 
Rome,  or  any  other  country.  You  will  also  realize 
the  fact,  that  Masonry  does  not  concern  itself  in  the 


122  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

building  of  Temples,  Abbies  or  Castles  of  either  brick 
or  stone.  You  will  also  realize  the  fact  that  Masonry 
taught  a  belief  in  God  and  the  building  of  the  Temple 
of  human  character,  that  Spiritual  Temple,  not  made 
by  hands. 

From  what  I  have  written  you  will  also  find  that 
it  proves  the  statements  made  by  our  Rituals,  where- 
in it  says — Masonry  has  been  in  existence  from  time 
immemorial  and  that  the  best  men  of  every  epoch  of 
the  world's  history  have  been  members  of  our  Fra- 
ternity. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  123 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
History  of  The  Ritual 

In  speaking  of  the  Ritual,  let  me  quote  you  from 
an  article  that  was  published  in  "The  Masonic 
Monthly"  of  Boston,  Mass.,  over  fifty  years  ago.  It 
was  titled  "HISTORY  OF  THE  RITUAL,"  and  it  was 
re-published  by  one  of  the  best  Masonic  papers  on 
earth  and  the  best  known,— THE  TYLER-KEY- 
STONE," the  July  issue  of  the  year  1914— and,  I, 
thinking  it  would  be  of  interest  to  my  readers  quote 
you  in  full  the  reprint. 

"Of  the  thousands  upon  thousands  of  candidates, 
who  annually  pass  through  the  ceremonies  of  the  sev- 
eral degrees  conferred  in  Masonic  lodges,  but  very 
few  know  anything  of  the  history  of  the  Ritual  of  the 
Order.  This  is  especially  to  be  regretted  for  the  rea- 
son that  there  is  among  the  members  of  the  craft 
generally,  a  strong  aversion  to  any  change  however 
slight  in  anything  connected  with  the  Ritual  for  fear 
that  some  of  these  ancient  waymarks  may  be  in- 
fringed upon  or  obliterated. 

Previous  to  the  revival  of  Masonry  in  1717,  and 
the  organization  of  our  present  system  of  Grand 
Lodge  and  Chartered  Lodges,  the  secrets  of  the  Or- 
der were  undoubtedly  communicated  and  the  instruc- 
tions and  explanations  given  to  the  candidates  in  such 
form  of  language  as  the  presiding  Master  or  Warden 


124  The   Lion's   Paw  Series 

could  command  at  the  time.  If  he  were  a  person  gifted 
in  language  and  his  mind  well  stored  with  the  facts 
and  lessons  of  scriptural  Masonic  history,  his  expla- 
nations would  be  full  and  interesting  and  his  instruc- 
tions clear  and  explicit.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
presiding  officers  were  less  fortunate  in  these  respects 
the  traditions  and  moral  instructions  would  be  set 
forth  in  style  and  language  corresponding  even  to 
a  meagre  and  barren  explanation  of  the  vital  points. 
It  is  very  probable,  but  not  certain  that  these  explana- 
tions and  instructions, — or  lectures,  as  they  were 
technically  called, — by  long  usage  and  frequent  repe- 
tition gradually  assumed  a  set  form  of  words,  which 
form  was  transmitted  orally  from  one  generation  to 
another. 

Soon  after  the  reorganization  of  the  Order  in  1717, 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  England  ordered  the  ancient 
constitution  and  charges  of  the  Order  to  be  compiled 
and  printed,  which  was  done  by  Dr.  William  Ander- 
son, a  distinguished  scholar  and  Free-Mason.  This 
volume,  known  as  "Anderson's  Constitution,"  was 
published  in  1723  and  was  the  first  printed  book  upon 
Free-Masonry  ever  issued. 

In  his  book  of  constitutions,  Dr.  Anderson,  assisted 
by  Dr.  Desaguliers,  arranged  the  lectures  for  the  first 
time  into  the  form  of  question  and  answer.  Dr.  Oliver 
informs  us,  that  "the  first  lecture  extended  to  the 
greater  length,  but  the  replies  were  circumscribed 
within  a  very  narrow  compass.  The  second  was 
shorter  and  the  third,  called  the  Master  part,  contained 
only  seven  questions  and  examinations.  So  favorably 
were  these  improved  "lectures"  received,  that  the 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  125 

Grand  Lodge  of  England,  (then  the  only  Grand  Lodge 
in  existence,  except  the  Old  Grand  Lodge,  or  Assem- 
bly, at  York,  which  soon  afterward  expired)  adopted 
the  form  and  ordered  them  to  be  given  in  all  the 
Lodges.  Thus  was  compiled  and  disseminated  the  first 
regular  form  or  system  of  Masonic  "lectures." 

The  progress  of  the  Order,  subsequent  to  the  date 
above  mentioned,  was  unprecedented  in  all  its  pre- 
vious history  and  in  a  few  years  the  imperfections  of 
Dr.  Anderson's  loudly  called  for  a  revision.  This  was 
finally  accomplished  in  1732  by  Martin  Clare,  an 
eminent  Mason  and  who  was  afterwards  Deputy 
Grand  Master.  Clare's  amendments  consisted  of  but 
little  more  than  the  addition  of  a  few  moral  and  scrip- 
tural admonitions  and  the  insertion  of  a  simple  allu- 
sion to  the  human  senses  and  to  the  theological  ladder. 

A  few  years  later,  Thomas  Dunckerly,  an  accom- 
plished scholar  and  who  was  considered  the  most  in- 
telligent Free-Mason  of  his  day,  considerably  ex- 
tended and  improved  the  Lectures.  Among  other 
things,  he  first  gave  to  the  theological  ladder  its  three 
most  important  rounds. 

According  to  Dr.  Oliver,  Dunckerly  added  many 
types  of  Christ.  This  be  it  remembered,  was  only  one 
hundred  years  ago  and  is  an  explicit  statement  of  the 
addition  of  the  first  Christian  allusion  to  be  found 
in  the  Ritual  of  Free-Masonry. 

The  lectures  of  Dunckerly  continued  to  be  the 
standard  in  England  until  1763,  when  Rev.  William 
Hutchinson  revised  and  improved  them.  Hutchinson 
soon  boldly  claimed  the  third  degree  to  be  exclusively 
Christian. 


126  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

He  regarded  the  degrees  as  progressive  steps,  or 
schools  in  religion.  He  believed  that  the  knowledge 
of  the  God  of  Nature  formed  the  first  state  of  our  pro- 
fession; that  the  worship  of  the  Deity,  under  the  Jew- 
ish Law  is  described  in  the  last  and  highest  order.  In 
the  lectures  of  Hutchinson  are  first  introduced  the 
three  great  pillars — Wisdom,  Strength  and  Beauty — 
as  supports  of  a  Lodge.  He  also  appears  to  have  in- 
troduced for  the  first  time  the  cardinal  virtues  of 
Prudence,  Fortitude,  Temperance  and  Justice.  He 
also  gave  to  the  Star  its  Christian  significance, — in 
fine,  he  appears  to  have  exerted  his  utmost  ingenuity 
to  render  the  degrees  emphatically  Christian  in  their 
allusions  and  teachings. 

Hutchinson's  system  continued  in  force  but  a  few 
years.  His  lectures  gave  place  in  1772  to  the  revision 
of  William  Preston.  The  latter  not  only  revised,  but 
greatly  extended  the  lectures  and  his  system  contin- 
ued to  be  the  standard  in  England  until  the  "Union" 
of  the  two  Grand  Lodges  of  that  kingdom  in  1813, 
when  a  committee  of  which  Dr.  Hemming  was  the 
chairman  and  leading  mind,  compiled  the  form  now 
generally  used  in  the  English  Lodges  and  known  as 
the  Hemming  Lectures. 

During  the  unhappy  division  of  the  Craft  in  Eng- 
land between  1739  and  1813,  differences  had  also  crept 
into  the  lectures  and  at  the  Union  above  mentioned 
the  committee  endeavored  to  compile  a  system  which, 
while  it  should  be  in  conformity  to  the  spirit  of  Free- 
Masonry  and  in  harmony  with  the  ancient  Landmarks, 
should  be  a  sort  of  a  compromise  between  the  forms 
in  previous  use  by  the  two  rival  organizations. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  127 

The  Hemming  lectures  differ  widely  from  any 
others  previously  introduced.  A  few  of  these  differ- 
ences may  properly  be  mentioned.  English  lodges 
are  now  dedicated  to  Moses  and  Solomon,  instead  of 
the  two  Saints  John,  as  before.  And  their  Masonic 
festival  falls  on  the  Wednesday  following  St.  George's 
Day,  April  23rd,  that  Saint  being  the  patron  of  Eng- 
land. The  symbols  of  an  E  A  are  a  24-inch  rule,  a 
gavel  and  chisel.  Those  of  a  M  M  are  a  pair  of  com- 
passes, a  skirret  and  a  pencil.  The  ornaments  of  a 
M  M  Lodge  are  "a  porch,  a  dormer  and  a  stone  pave- 
ment." Instead  of  following  the  example  of  his  prede- 
cessor, in  introducing  new  Christian  allusions,  Dr. 
Hemming  expunged  several  in  use  previously.  The 
system,  however,  never  met  the  cordial  approval  even 
of  the  English  brethren  and  though  beautifully  elabo- 
rate, contains  so  many  incongruities  and  departures 
from  the  more  simple  lectures  of  Preston,  that  it  can 
never  be  recognized  as  a  universal  system.  The  verbal 
ritual  of  Preston  was  introduced  into  this  country  by 
two  English  brethren,  who  had  been  members  of  one 
of  the  principal  Lodges  of  Instruction  in  London  and 
was  by  them  communicated  to  Thomas  Smith  Webb, 
an  accomplished  and  distinguished  Mason  of  New 
England.  According  to  the  testimony  of  Webb  him- 
self, he  made  but  little  change  in  the  system  of  Pres- 
ton. In  the  first  edition  of  his  Free-Mason's  Monitor, 
published  in  1797  he  says— 

"The  observations  on  the  first  three  degrees  are 
principally  taken  from  'Preston's  Illustration  of  Ma- 
sonry,' with  some  necessary  alterations."  Mr.  Pres- 
ton's distribution  of  the  first  lecture  into  six,  the  sec- 


128  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

ond  into  four  and  the  third  into  twelve  sections,  not 
being  agreeable  to  the  present  mode  of  working,  they 
are  arranged  in  this  work  according  to  the  general 
practice.  It  appears  plain  that  Webb  followed  Pres- 
ton quite  closely  and  one  who  will  take  the  trouble 
to  compare  them  will  find  that  Cross  and  after  him,  all 
the  rest  have  copied  nearly  verbatum  from  Webb,  so 
that  the  esoteric  portions  of  the  ritual,  as  contained  in 
Monitors,  Charts,  Manuals  and  Trestle  boards,  are 
but  little  more  than  reprints  of  Preston's  Illustrations 
of  Masonry. 

But  my  dear  brothers  I  do  not  desire  to  enter  into 
a  long  discussion  at  this  time  or  any  other  in  relation 
to  the  Ritual-makers  in  England  at  the  beginning  of 
the  eighteenth  century.  It  makes  no  difference  to  me 
whether  an  assemblage  of  so-called  Masons  met  on 
the  24th  day  of  June,  (Saint  John's  day)  or  any  other 
day,  to  formulate  a  Ritual  at  the  Tavern  of  the  Goose 
and  Gridiron,  the  Apple  Tree  Inn,  the  Rummer  and 
Grapes,  Pig  and  Fiddle  or  any  other  of  those  Beer 
and  Rum  drinking  places.  Or,  whether  the  Hemming 
or  Martin  Clare's  lectures  were  better  than  the  Pres- 
ton's and  Webb's.  To  me  they  are  all  utterly  absurd 
and  perfectly  ridiculous  and  not  worthy  the  attention 
of  the  Masonic  student  who  is  searching  for  Light  and 
Truth. 

Let  me  tell  you  what  I  have  so  often  written  upon 
and  emphasized  in  my  lectures  that — Ritualism  is  not 
Masonry  and  this  fact  I  desire  to  impress  firmly  upon 
your  minds.  Every  Master  Mason  who  has  been  "duly 
and  truly  prepared"  and  found  worthy  and  intellect- 
ually qualified,  will  most  assuredly  know  that  the  Rit- 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  129 

ualistic  ceremonies  of  Initiation,  Passing  and  Raising 
do  not  unfold  to  us  that  beautiful  system  of  Morality, 
veiled  in  Allegory  and  Illustrated  by  Symbols.  In  no 
part  do  they  open  up  to  us  the  sublime  Truths  that  lie 
buried  beneath  them.  The  true  meaning  of  the  Al- 
legories and  Symbols  must  be  carefully  searched  for 
before  the  candidate  can  ever  hope  to  understand 
what  they  represent  and  teach  us. 

The  Ritual  makers,  of  whom  I  have  referred  to 
above,  put  in  a  lot  of  symbols  and  then  rinding  them 
unsuitable  afterward  rejected  them,  replacing  them 
by  others  equally  as  absurd,  Cross  for  instance. 

Our  revered  Brother,  the  late  Albert  Pike,  speak- 
ing in  relation  to  this  subject  says,  in  Morals  and 
Dogma,  page  204:  "There  is  no  sight  under  the  sun 
more  pitiful  and  ludicrous  at  once  than  the  Prestons 
and  Webbs,  not  to  mention  the  later  incarnations,  of 
Dullards  and  common-place,  undertaking  to  explain 
the  old  symbols  of  Masonry  and  adding  to  and  im- 
proving them,  or  inventing  new  ones.  To  the  circle, 
enclosing  the  central  point  and  itself  traced  between 
two  parallel  lines,  a  figure  purely  Kabalistic,  these  per- 
sons have  added  the  superimposed  Bible  and  even 
reared  on  that  the  ladder  with  the  three  or  nine  rounds 
and  then  giving  a  vapid  interpretation  of  the  whole 
so  profoundly  absurd  as  actually  to  excite  admiration. 


The    Lion's    Paw    Series  131 


CHAPTER  XV. 
Lack  of  Interest  by  the  Craft 

Before  entering  fully  and  comprehensively  into 
the  subject  of  the  Ritual  and  Ritualistic  ceremonies, 
which  will  be  treated  thoroughly  and  comprehensively 
in  another  volume  of  this  series,  I  desire  to  express 
my  astonishment  at  the  apparent  lack  of  interest  taken 
in  Masonic  literature  by  the  vast  majority  of  the  breth- 
ren calling  themselves  Free-Masons.  It  is  a  lamentable 
fact  that  an  immense  number  of  brothers,  who  call 
themselves  Master  Masons,  have  no  more  idea  of  the 
esoteric  teachings  of  our  beloved  Fraternity  than  the 
Solicitant,  who  has  not  yet  received  the  "Light,"  be- 
ing bewildered  as  it  were  by  its  refulgence.  If  you 
take  the  trouble  to  converse  upon  the  teachings  or 
symbology  of  the  various  degrees,  you  will  find  many 
sadly  deficient  upon  the  most  simple  subjects.  Con- 
tinue your  investigations  and  you  will  most  assuredly 
find  that  seemingly  they  have  no  apparent  interest  in 
the  actual  knowledge  needed  to  make  them  acquainted 
with  the  Ancient  Landmarks  of  the  Fraternity,  or 
even  to  converse  upon  general  topics  of  interest  to  the 
intellectual  student  seeking  MORE,  LIGHT,  MORE 
TRUTH;  aye,  more  knowledge,  not  of  Masonic  in- 
terest only,  but  in  the  wonderful  advance  of  Science, 
Philosophy,  etc.,  as  evidenced  by  researches  in  the 
realms  of  literature  and  the  many  remarkable  discov- 


132  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

cries  made  in  the  scientific  world  and  utilized  in  this 
wonderful  twentieth  century. 

The  true  Mason  will  never  be  satisfied  with  the 
the  simple  ceremonies  of  the  various  degrees  to  which 
he  has  attained,  but  will  search  among  the  beautiful 
symbols  permeating  our  beloved  Fraternity,  to  dis- 
cover the  sublimity  and  grandeur  of  the  profound 
TRUTHS  underlying  each  and  every  one  of  them. 
Every  word  in  these  degrees  is  frought  with  the  deep- 
est significance.  Every  answer  that  you  give  at  your 
initiation  forms  a  sentence,  which  is  the  key  to  the 
symbolic  degrees.  And  it  is  his  duty  to  endeavor 
to  discover  the  hidden  meaning  of  every  symbol,  as 
well  as  to  understand  the  true  meaning  of  every  word. 
If  he  has  been  earnest  in  his  endeavors  as  a  Master 
Mason,  and  if  he  has  passed  through  the  profoundly 
beautiful  and  magnificent  ceremonies  pertaining  to 
our  Ancient  Scottish  Rite  degrees,  he  will  at  length 
understand  their  seeming  mysteries  and  this  trans- 
lated knowledge  will  make  him  a  Mason  in  Truth  and 
in  Spirit  plainly  pointing  out  his  Path  and  Duty.  The 
great  majority  of  those  calling  themselves  Masons  do 
not  give  enough  study  to  the  preceding  degrees  before 
entering  upon  the  threshold  of  another.  They  do  not 
take  the  time  to  consider  or  realize  that  the  various 
degrees  in  Masonry  are  like  the  links  in  a  great  chain 
connecting  one  with  the  other,  forming  among  them- 
selves a  grand  whole;  and  as  I  have  often  told  you  in 
my  lectures,  let  me  now  repeat  that: — the  proper  un- 
derstanding of  one  degree  is  a  key-note  of  comprehen- 
sion to  the  one  above.  Probably  you  may  get  a  better 
idea  of  my  meaning  when  I  say,  that — the  whole  of 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  133 

the  degrees  of  The  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish 
Rite  are  analogous  to  Mathematics,  because  in  order 
to  thoroughly  understand  the  science  of  numbers  and 
arithmetic  we  must  begin  at  addition,  pass  on  to  sub- 
traction, rise  to  multiplication  and  then  advance  to 
division  and  so  on.  As  without  the  knowledge  of  the 
one  we  could  not  possibly  understand  the  true  mean- 
ing of  the  other,  and  so  it  is  with  the  whole  of  Masonry, 
but  more  especially  so  with  the  beautiful  degrees  in 
Scottish  Rite  Masonry. 

Thousands  of  brothers  who  call  themselves  Mas- 
ter Masons  do  not  care  to  study  or  learn  the  true 
meaning  of  the  beautiful  symbols  permeating  our  be- 
loved Fraternity.  But  they  take  the  various  degrees 
of  our  Scottish  Rite  bodies  often  out  of  simple  curi- 
osity, while  many  others  acquire  them  in  the  hope 
that  it  will  aid  them  in  their  business  affairs.  Again 
many  are  desirous  of  passing  rapidly  through  the  va- 
rious degrees  and  be  received  as  a  "MASTER  OF 
THE  ROYAL  SECRET"  to  be  enabled  to  wear  the 
jewel  of  that  degree,  suspended  from  a  watch  chain, 
who  yet  knows  no  more  of  'THE  ROYAL  SECRET" 
than  a  child  unborn.  Or  possibly,  with  an  insane  de- 
sire to  become— A  SHRINER.  AND  THAT  IS  NOT 
MASONRY.  Such  brothers  are  simply  Drones  in 
the  "Masonic  Hive,"  and  not  true  workers,  otherwise 
they  would  endeavor  to  learn  and  acquire  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  profound  philosophies  and  scientific  prob- 
lems, which  permeate  our  most  illustrious  Fraternity. 
But  still  there  are  a  vast  number  of  brothers  who  are 
earnestly  searching  through  the  symbology  of  the 
various  degrees  in  Scottish  Rite  Masonry  for  the  ex- 


134  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

press  purpose  of  understanding  the  grand  truths  that 
are  contained  in  its  sublime  philosophies  and  solving 
the  problems  of  Life,  Death,  the  Immortality  of  the 
Soul  and  the  development  of  the  human  intellect. 
These  brothers  will  ever  be  patient  with  the  drones 
and  sluggards.  They  will  strive  to  help  them  along 
the  path  leading  to  greater  exertions.  And  will  en- 
deavor to  plant  within  their  hearts  an  earnest  desire 
to  know  the  Holy  Doctrine  and  the  KEY  to  the  "Royal 
Secret." 

It  is  very  difficult  to  solve  some  of  the  symbols  of 
the  Ancient  Mysteries  and  Ancient  Masonry,  and 
many  of  our  modern  writers  give  a  wrong  interpreta- 
tion to  them,  often  leading  person  astray  who  are  try- 
ing to  understand  them.  The  old  secrets  and  sym- 
bols have  been  veiled  or  hidden  on  purpose  to  conceal 
their  real  meaning  from  the  Profane,  and  yet  the  earn- 
est student,  who  has  obtained  the  KEY  through  pro- 
found study,  finds  no  difficulty  in  coming  to  an  un- 
derstanding of  their  sublime  teachings. 

The  word  Reveal  is  a  very  curious  and  mis-leading 
one  if  taken  in  its  general  accepted  sense,  because  the 
Latin  word  "revelare,"  from  which  we  derive  the  word 
reveal  or  revealed,  is  just  the  opposite  to  the  general 
accepted  meaning  of  it  in  English.  For  revealare  sig- 
nifies to  reveil  and  not  to  reveal,  i.  e.,  from  RE  again 
or  back,  and  velare  to  hide,  or  cover: — to  veil  from 
the  eyes  of  those  who  were  unworthy. 

One  of  the  first  to  reveal,  (reveil  or  hide)  the  sym- 
bology  of  the  Ancient  Mysteries  of  India,  so  as  to 
preserve  and  practice  them  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile, 
was  Hermes,  and  long  centuries  after  him  the  Jewish 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  135 

Lawgiver,  Moses,  who  reveiled  or  hid  away  in  the 
Wisdom  of  the  Ancient  Egyptians,  all  the  Egypto- 
Chaldean  theological  legends  and  allegories. 

Albert  Pike  was  of  the  same  opinion  as  myself  in 
relation  to  this  subject,  for  he  says  in  "Morals  and 
Dogma,"  page  104:  "Masonry,  like  all  the  Religions, 
all  the  Mysteries,  Hermaticism  and  Alchemy,  conceals 
its  secrets  from  all,  except  the  Adepts  and  Sages,  or 
the  Elect.  And  uses  false  explanations  and  misinter- 
pretations of  its  symbols  to  mislead  those  who  desire 
to  be  mislead  to  conceal  the  Truth,  which  it  calls  Light 
from  them  and  to  draw  them  away  from  it.  Truth  is 
not  for  those  who  are  unworthy  or  unable  to  receive 
it,  or  would  prevent  it.  So  God  Himself  incapacitates 
many  men,  by  color  blindness  to  distinguish  colors 
and  leads  the  masses  away  from  the  highest  Truth, 
giving  them  the  power  to  attain  only  so  much  of  it  as 
is  profitable  to  them  to  know.  Every  age  has  a  re- 
ligion suited  to  its  capacity.  The  teachers  even  of 
Christianity  are  in  general  the  most  ignorant  of  the 
true  meaning  of  that  which  they  teach.  There  is  no 
book  of  which  so  little  is  known  as  the  Bible.  To 
most  who  read  it,  it  is  as  incomprehensible  as  the 
Sohar.  So  Masonry,  zealously  conceals  its  secrets 
and  intentionally  leads  conceited  interpreters  astray. 
Let  me  again  repeat,  there  is  no  sight  under  the  sun 
more  pitiful  and  ludicrous  at  once  than  the  Prestons 
and  the  Webbs,  not  to  mention  the  later  incarnations 
of  Dullards  and  common-place,  undertaking  to  'ex- 
plain' the  old  symbols  of  Masonry." 

Masonry,  successor  of  the  mysteries,  still  follows 
the  ancient  manner  of  teaching.  Her  ceremonies  are 


136  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

like  the  ancient  mystic  shows, — not  the  reading  of  an 
essay.  But  the  opening  problem,  requiring  research 
and  constituting  philosophy,  the  arch  expounder.  The 
symbols  are  the  instruction  she  gives.  The  lectures 
are  endeavors,  often  partial  and  one-sided,  to  interpret 
these  symbols.  He  who  would  become  an  accom- 
plished Mason,  must  not  be  content  merely  to  hear 
or  even  to  understand  the  lectures;  he  must  be  aided 
by  them  and  they  having  as  it  were  marked  out  the 
way  for  him,  to  study,  interpret  and  develop  these 
symbols  for  himself. 


The    Lion's    Paw    Series  137 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

The  Whole  of  Masonry  Not  in  the 
First  Three  Degrees 

There  are  a  great  number  of  Master  Masons  who 
firmly  believe  that  the  Blue  Lodge  or  Symbolic  de- 
grees contain  the  whole  of  Masonry.  But  this  asser- 
tion clearly  proves  that  they  have  not  as  yet  fully 
comprehended — What  Masonry  is,  or  what  it  stands 
for  and  teaches,  or  they  would  never  make  such  an 
assertion.  It  also  clearly  proves  that  they  do  not 
realize  that — Masonry  is  a  progressive  scientific 
philosophy,  veiled  in  Allegory  and  illustrated  by  sym- 
bols. We  will  admit  that  if  the  first  three  degrees 
had  not  been  tampered  with,  by  the  Crosses,  Prestons 
and  Webb's,  the  fundamental  principles  of  a  pure 
scientific  philosophy  would  be  plainly  seen  and 
thoroughly  understood  by  all  those  who  had  been 
"Duly  and  Truly  Prepared,"  and  who  had  been  found 
worthy  to  Receive. 

The  first  three  degrees  in  Masonry  are  simply  the 
foundation,  upon  which  has  been  builded  a  most  pro- 
found Scientific,  Philosophy,  Easily  Learned,  and 
thoroughly  comprehended  by  all  those  who  have  been 
found  worthy  to  Receive  it.  Let  me  make  myself 
fully  understood,  by  saying,  that  the  fundamental 
principles  of  Masonry  are  latent  in  the  Symbolic  de- 


138  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

grees.  But  let  it  be  thoroughly  understood  that,  un- 
til the  Master  Mason  has  taken  the  Ineffable  and  pro- 
found, philosophical  degrees  of  our  beloved  Scottish 
Rite,  he  will  never  be  enabled  to  understand  them. 
For  what  they  symbolize  and  teach  have  come  down 
to  us  from  a  Venerable  Association  of  Perfect  Mas- 
ters of  India,  the  Mazdean  philosophers  of  Persia  and 
the  Hierophants  of  the  ancient  Egyptian  Mysteries. 

In  the  Science  of  Numbers  or  Arithmetic,  there 
are  certain  "Rules"  running  through  the  whole  series 
for  our  guidance  and  proper  understanding  of  the 
whole  series  or  science.  Therefore,  if  a  man  has  only 
a  simple  knowledge  of  the  First  Three  Rules  alone, 
Addition,  Subtraction  and  Multiplication,  what  could 
he  know  of  Proportion,  Square-Rout,  Mensuration, 
Algebra,  Trigonometry,  Conic,  Sections,  etc.  Con- 
sequently by  the  same  ruling,  a  Master  Mason,  who 
has  only  received  the  first  three  degrees  in  a  Symbolic 
Lodge,  would  know  comparatively  nothing  of  the  sub- 
lime philosophical  teachings  of  the  higher  degrees  of 
Scottish  Rite  Masonry. 

Some  years  ago  during  a  visit  to  Chicago,  I  was 
sitting,  chatting  with  the  late  Brother  Gil  W.  Barn- 
ard, 33rd,  in  his  office  in  presence  of  another  mutual 
Friend  and  Brother,  the  late  Carson  Smith,  33rd,  upon 
the  subject  now  under  discussion.  When  Brother 
Bernard  arose  and  brought  from  an  adjacent  shelf  a 
copy  of  the  May  number  of  the  "Canadian  Free-Ma- 
son, pages  336  et  seq,  and  read  the  following:  "Fre- 
quently we  hear  the  remark  that  all  of  Free-Masonry 

is  contained  in  the  First  Three  degrees 

I  cannot  be  justly  charged  with  partiality  when  I  claim 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  139 

that  all  that  belongs  to  Free-Masonry  is  not  contained 
in  the  Lodge  degrees.  The  Mark  and  Royal  Arch  de- 
grees of  the  Chapter,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Royal 
and  Select  Masters,  are  not  only  essentiably  Masonic 
in  character,  but  are  as  much  needed  for  a  proper  un- 
derstanding of  our  legends  and  mysteries,  as  any  part 
of  the  first  three  degrees.  Some  say  (and  truthfully), 
that  the  Masonic  portions  of  the  degrees  mentioned, 
were  taken  from  the  second  and  third  degrees.  But 
that  only  goes  to  prove  my  position.  Another  fea- 
ture and  to  me  it  is  a  much  stronger  argument,  for  the 
usefulness  of  the  so-called  higher  degrees,  is,  that  in 
the  working  of  them,  we  find  an  elaboration  and  illu- 
stration in  detail  of  the  best  and  strongest  points,  con- 
tained in  the  Lodge  work Nothing  is 

more  Masonic  than  the  teaching  regarding  the  work 
and  wages  of  the  Mark  Master.  And  equally  so,  is  the 
lesson  contained  in  the  Royal  Arch  and  the  Grand 
Omnific  Royal  Arch  Word — Holiness  to  the  Lord  is 

the  essence  of  Masonry Brethren,  it  is 

true  beyond  question,  in  my  experience  that  the 
Lodge  is  strengthened  and  made  more  useful  through 
the  lessons  received  by  their  members  in  Chapter, 
Council  and  Commandry.  And  the  beautiful — Aye 
—Sublime  teachings  of  the  Ancient  and  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite. 

One  of  the  very  first  things  every  Master  Mason 
will  discover,  will  be  that  the  secrets  which  lie  con- 
cealed, in  our  Legends,  Symbols  and  Allegories,  are 
not  taught  openly  in  our  Lodges,  Chapters  and  Coun- 
cils. They  are  known  most  certainly,  but  they  are  not 
given  out  promiscuously  to  every  Brother.  He  is  left 


140  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

to  find  the  true  meaning  of  them,  by  and  for  himself 
alone.  In  having  the  first  three  degrees  conferred 
upon  him,  he  will  not  receive  that  which  is  said  to 
have  been  lost.  Neither  will  he  understand  anything 
pertaining  to  the  ritualistic  ceremonies,  excepting, 
the  parrot-like  lessons  he  has  to  learn  from  his  ap- 
pointed Instructor.  There  are  lessons  to  be  learned, 
but  he  must  search,  amidst  the  rubbish  of  ritualistic 
ceremonies  himself,  in  order  to  discover  their  true 
meaning.  Then  when  he  passes  from  the  square  and 
compasses,  he  will  find  himself  far  better  enabled  to 
appreciate  that  which  lies  before  him. 

As  Albert  Pike  truly  says  in  his  Morals  and 
Dogma,  the  symbols  of  the  wise  always  become  the 
idols  of  the  ignorant  multitude.  The  Symbolic  degrees 
are  but  the  outer  court  or  portico  of  the  Temple.  Part 
of  the  symbols  are  displayed  there  to  the  Initiate,  but 
he  is  intentionally  misled  by  false  interpretations  in 
the  so-called  York  Rite  of  Masonry.  The  whole  body 
of  the  Royal  and  Sacerdotal  Art  was  hidden  centuries 
since,  in  the  High  degrees,  that  it  is  even  yet,  impossi- 
ble to  solve  many  of  the  enigmas  which  they  contain. 
It  is  well  enough  for  the  mass  of  those  calling  them- 
selces  Master  Masons,  to  imagine,  that  all  is  contained 
in  the  First  Three  or  Symbolic  Degrees.  And  who 
ever  attempts  to  undeceive  them,  will  labor  in  vain. 
And  without  any  true  reward  violate  his  obligations. 
Masonry  is  a  veritable  Sphinx,  buried  to  the  head  in 
the  sands  of  misinterpretations  heaped  around  it. 

I  have  often  lectured  and  frequently  written  upon 
the  Three  degrees  of  Masonry,  and  I  must  certainly 
say,  that  I  agree  with  what  Brother  Albert  Pike  has 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  141 

said  about  the  Blue  Lodge  degrees,  and  his  comparing 
them  to  the  "broken  columns  of  a  roofless  Druidical 
Temple  in  their  rude  and  mutilated  greatness,"  as  per- 
fectly correct.  And  every  Masonic  Student  who  will 
carefully  examine  the  Symbolic  degree  of  the  so- 
called  York  Rite,  will  immediately  recognize  their 
mutilated  condition.  And  they  will  also  find  that 
there  is  nothing  complete  or  perfect  in  them.  Even 
that  which  every  entered  Apprentice  and  Fellow- 
Craft  looks  forward  to  has  been  lost  and  he  is  given  a 
substitute  to  be  used  by  every  Master  Mason,  until 
future  generations  shall  discover  the  lost  one. 

Masonic  Traditions  carry  us  back  to  the  most  re- 
mote ages  of  antiquity.  Away  back  beyond  the  dim 
dawn  of  pre-historic  civilization.  Long  drifting  cen- 
turies before  the  banks  of  the  Nile  were  populated 
and  adorned  with  tombs  and  temples,  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  that  wondrous  valley  of  the 
Nile.  In  this  connection  let  me  quote  you  from 
"Mystic  Masonry"  by  my  Friend  and  Brother  J.  D. 
BUCK: 

"Masonry  deals  largely  with  the  Ethics  and  Sym- 
bolism of  the  Ancient  Mysteries.  The  writer  believes 
that  through  the  well-timed  efforts  of  Masons  today, 
the  grandest  achievements  in  knowledge  ever  gained 
by  Man,  which  were  originally  concealed  in  the  Great 
Mysteries  of  Antiquity.  And  in  time  became  lost  to 
the  world,  may  again  be  recovered.  In  the  strictest 
sense  this  knowledge  has  never  really  been  lost,  as 
there  have  always  existed  those  who  were  possessed 
of  the  Great  Secret.  And  it  was  written  in  a  universal 
language  of  Symbolism,  that  the  Wise  among  all  na- 


142  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

tions  and  throughout  all  time  might  read  it,  as  it  were, 
in  their  own  language.  It  was  also  written  in  parable 
and  allegory,  so  that  the  unlettered  and  common  peo- 
ple might  not  be  deprived  of  its  wise  precepts  and  of 
its  force,  in  shaping  character,  dissipating  ignorance 
and  inspiring  hope.  Thus  Ancient  Wisdom  is  the 
fountain,  from  which  Masonry  takes  its  rise.  The 
true  Science  of  Symbolism,  in  time  became  lost;  the 
Temples  of  Initiation  fell  into  decay  or  were  destroyed 
by  Priests  and  Potentates,  jealous  of  their  influence. 
For  many  weary  centuries,  Men  have  been  trying  to 
recover  the  Lost  Key  and  to  restore  the  ancient  Wis- 
dom from  the  parables  and  allegories  in  which  it  had 
been  concealed.  But  progress  in  the  inverse  order,  is 
not  only  necessarily  slow,  and  uncertain,  but  all  such 
attempts  have,  more  or  less,  given  rise  to  fantastic 
flights  of  the  imagination  and  resulted  in  confusion, 
rather  than  in  enlightenment.  The  result  has  been  to 
bring  the  whole  subject  under  contempt  and  to  make 
the  name  'Mysticism'  mean  something  vague  and  un- 
certain, if  not  altogether  foolish,  to  those  ignorant 
of  its  true  meaning. 

The  causes  that  have  led  up  to  the  re-veiling  of 
the  Ancient  Wisdom  and  Masonic  Symbols,  have  been 
many.  Some  of  which  have  been  previously  men- 
tioned, such  as  Christian  bigotry,  ignorant  fanaticism, 
misinterpretations  and  alterations,  by  those  who  de- 
sired to  change  the  hieroglyphical  characters  or  in- 
scriptions and  symbols  in  order  to  suit  their  own  ends 
and  further  their  own  designs.  I  have  spoken  about 
the  destruction  of  Symbols,  etc.,  so  that  you,  my  dear 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  143 

friends,  may  give  some  thought  to  this  subject  your- 
selves. 

The  Secret  Doctrine  tells  that — However,  super- 
human the  efforts  of  the  early  Christian  or  Church 
Fathers  to  obliterate  the  Secret  Doctrine  from  the 
memory  of  Man,  they  all  failed.  Truth,  can  never  be 
killed,  hence  the  failure  to  sweep  away  from  the  face 
of  the  earth,  every  vestige,  of  that  ancient  Wisdom. 
And  to  shackle  and  gag  every  witness  who  testified 
to  it.  Let  one  only  think  of  the  thousands,  aye,  mil- 
lions of  manuscrips  burnt.  Of  monuments,  with  their 
too  indiscreet  inscriptions  and  pictorial  symbols,  torn 
down  and  trampled  into  dust,  by  fanatics  in  every 
country  on  earth. 

I  have  written  upon  this  particular  subject,  my 
dear  Brothers  and  Friends,  in  order  that  you  may 
thoroughly  understand  that — If  the  First  Three  De- 
grees do  contain  the  whole  of  Masonry,  the  Master 
Mason  will  never  be  able  to  understand  or  compre- 
hend but  the  ridimentary  part  of  any  of  them.  In 
fact,  he  will  never  attain  to  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
any  one  of  those  degrees,  until  he  has  been  initiated 
into  the  higher  Degrees  of  the  Ancient  and  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite.  And  then  only  will  he  be  enabled  to 
thoroughly  appreciate  the  beauty  of  the  Symbolic 
Degrees.  And  then  he  will  positively  know  that— 
although  they  do  not  include  the  whole  of  Masonry, 
they  do  most  certainly  contain  the  KEY  to  the  In- 
affable,  Chevalric  and  Philosophical  degrees  of  the 
Scottish  Rite,  which  most  assuredly  does  contain  the 
WHOLE  OF  MASONRY.  Consequently,  every  as- 


144  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

piring  Brother  who  is  desirous  of  fulfilling  his  Vow 
and  Keeping  his  First  Promise — to  improve  himself 
in  Masonry,  should  never  stop  at  the  Third  Degree. 
Because,  he  has  only  received  the  Light  and  has  been 
raised  to  Life  so  that  he  may  be  enabled  to  "Live  The 
Life"  and  continue  on  the  Path  that  leads  to  higher 
planes  of  Spiritual  unfoldment,  and  to  a  proper  un- 
derstanding of  the  profound  Wisdom  that  pertains  to 
the  Higher  Degrees  in  Masonry.  As  he  climbs  his 
view  widens  out,  and  his  horizon  expands.  He  will 
begin  to  realize,  not  only  the  honor  that  has  been 
conferred  upon  him,  but  also  the  Duties  and 
Responsibilities  that  belong  to  all  those  who  have 
been  permitted  to  receive  the  glorious  teaching  that 
are  embodied  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  Scottish  Rite 
of  Masonry  of  the  Southern  Jurisdiction.  One  of  the 
very  first  things  that  he  will  learn,  will  be,  that  he 
carries  within  the  sanctuary  of  his  own  Soul,  the 
Lamp  of  Reason.  And  he  will  be  impressed  with  the 
fact  that — "Man  should  not  live  for  himself  alone." 

In  all  that  I  have  written  and  all  that  is  following 
in  these  pages,  I  have  endeavored  to  give  you  posi- 
tive proof,  not  only  of  the  Origin  and  Antiquity  of 
Masonry,  but  what  it  stands  for  and  what  it  teaches. 
Therefore,  I  ask  all  my  readers  and  Brothers,  to  think, 
meditate  and  Reason  upon  what  is  to  be  found  in  the 
Harmonics  of  Evolution,  the  Psycological  Crime 
and  the  Great  Work.  And  upon  that  which  I  shall 
to  the  best  of  my  ability  endeavor  to  explain  and  lay 
clearly  before  you.  Because,  I  consider  Masonic 
knowledge,  to  be  an  absolute  essential  to  the  attain- 
ment of  that  perfection,  upon  which  depend  the 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  145 

Higher  Degrees.  And  toward  which,  we  should  ever 
strive  with  an  unceasing  effort.  Therefore,  in  order 
that  you  may  attain  to  greater  knowledge  and  more 
earnest  devotion  to  Masonry,  I  ask  you  to  read  very 
carefully  every  page  of  this  work,  for  it  will  positively 
give  you  Light. 

Let  me  assure  you,  my  dear  Brothers,  that  the 
teachings  of  that  Venerable  Brotherhood  of  Ancient 
India  have  never  changed.  That  all  its  sublimely 
beautiful  philosophies  are  to  be  found  today,  amidst 
the  rubbish  of  innovations,  that  have  crept  into  our 
beloved  Fraternity  from  sources  which  I  have  so  often 
spoken  of  in  my  lectures.  Yet,  notwithstanding  this 
fact,  if  we  search  very  carefully,  we  shall  most  as- 
suredly find  that  for  which  we  are  searching— 
LIGHT. 

It  is  to  be  deplored  that  an  immense  number  of 
Brothers  calling  themselves  Master  Masons,  have  no 
more  idea  of  the  Esoteric  teaching  of  Free-Masonry, 
than  the  Man  who  has  just  made  application  for  ad- 
mission into  the  Fraternity  and  has  not  yet  passed  be- 
tween the  columns.  If  you  take  the  trouble  to  con- 
verse with  them  upon  the  subject  of  Masonry,  its 
symbology,  or  the  teaching  in  the  various  Degrees, 
you  will  most  assuredly  find  them,  sadly  deficient  upon 
the  most  simple  subjects  of  the  Esoteric  meaning  of 
the  Allegories,  Legends  and  Symbols.  They  know 
comparatively  nothing.  Continue  your  investigations 
and  you  will  find  some  who  seemingly  have  no  ap- 
parent interest  in  the  actual  knowledge  needed  to 
make  them  acquainted  with  the  Ancient  Land-Marks 
of  Masonry.  You  will  also  discover  that  there  are  a 


146  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

great  many,  who  are  not  able  to  converse  upon  the 
general  topics  of  interest,  to  the  intellectual  Masonic 
Student,  who  is  seeking  More  Light,  more  Truth — aye 
more  knowledge,  not  of  Masonic  interest  alone,  but 
in  the  wonderful  advance  of  Art,  Science  and 
Philosophy. 

The  true  Mason  will  never  be  satisfied  with  the 
simple  ceremonies  of  the  various  Blue  Lodge  Degrees 
to  which  he  has  advanced.  He  will  most  assuredly 
search  for  himself  among  the  Legends,  Allegories  and 
Symbols  of  the  various  Degrees,  in  order  to  discover 
their  true  meaning  and  the  underlying  Truths  in 
each  and  every  one  of  them.  In  so  doing  he  will  soon 
begin  to  realize  the  fact,  that  every  thing  he  himself 
says,  every  position  in  which  he  finds  himself,  is 
fought  with  the  deepest  significance.  He  will  also  dis- 
cover that  it  is  his  bounden  Duty  to  strive  to  discover 
the  hidden  meaning  of  every  symbol  in  Masonry.  Not 
until  our  Student  has  meditated  long  upon  the  Ethics 
and  Symbolry,  will  he  be  enabled  to  understand  their 
true  meaning.  He  will  find  that  a  knowledge  of  what 
they  teach  and  their  fulfillment  will  make  him  a  Ma- 
son in  Truth  and  Spirit  and  point  out  his  path  and 
Duty.  And  I  earnestly  desire  that  every  Master  Ma- 
son should  positively  know  that  his  Obligation  does 
not  make  him  a  Master  Mason  in  the  true  sense  of  the 
word.  Only  by  keeping  that  Obligation.  And  ful- 
filling your  Vow  or  First  Promise  can  you  ever  hope 
to  become  a  Master  Mason,  in  word  and  deed. 

The  great  majority  of  the  Royal  Craft  do  not  give 
enough  study  to  the  first  or  the  Entered  Apprentice 
Degree,  before  entering  or  crossing  the  threshold  of 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  147 

another.  They  do  not  seem  to  know  that  a  thorough 
comprehension  of  the  very  first  Degree,  is  the  Key  to 
the  one  above.  As  I  have  so  often  said,  in  my  lectures, 
the  various  degrees  of  Masonry,  are  analogous  to 
Mathematics  or  the  Science  of  Numbers.  Because, 
in  order,  to  thoroughly  understand  the  Science  of 
Numbers  or  Arithmetic,  we  must  begin  at  addition 
and  come  to  a  thorough  comprehension  of  what  it 
teaches.  Then  with  this  knowledge  gained  we  can 
safely  pass  on  to  subtraction.  And  with  its  aid  we 
may  rise  to  multiplication,  when  we  shall  fully  realize 
the  fact  that  we  have  now  the  real  fundamentals  of 
the  Science.  Now,  having  the  Light  of  those  three, 
we  may  safely  Advance,  on  to  Division,  and  so  on,  to 
the  very  highest  problems  of  spherical  Trigonometry, 
etc.  Remember,  without  the  knowledge  of  the  very 
first,  we  could  not  possibly  understand  the  true 
meaning  of  the  others.  Thus  it  is  in  Masonry  and  its 
various  degrees.  It  would  be  simply  impossible  for 
any  one  to  understand  a  higher  degree  without  a 
thorough  comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  one  be- 
low. Therefore,  my  dear  Brothers,  begin  at  the  be- 
ginning and  know  your  lesson  well. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  149 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

How  to  Live  the  Life 

There  are  thousands  of  Masons  who  do  not  care  to 
Study  or  learn  the  true  meaning  of  our  beautiful  sys- 
tem of  Morality  or  the  profound  philosophy  underly- 
ing each  and  every  one  in  Masonry.  There  are  large 
numbers  who  enter  our  portals  and  pass  between  the 
columns  out  of  simple  curiosity.  Others  earnestly  de- 
sire to  attain  the  very  highest  degree,  in  hopes  that  it 
will  be  an  aid  to  them  in  their  business  affairs.  There 
are  others  who  are  exceedingly  anxious  to  get  the 
Shrine.  Again  there  are  others  who  pass  rapidly 
through  the  various  degrees  in  order  to  be  received 
as  a  MASTER  OF  THE  ROYAL  SECRET  and  wear 
the  jewel  of  that  Degree,  and  yet,  know  no  more  of 
The  Royal  Secret  than  a  child  unborn.  Such  Broth- 
ers are  simply  Drones  in  the  busy  hive  of  Masonry. 
Such  an  ones  are  most  assuredly  Drones  and  not  true 
workers,  otherwise  they  would  endeavor  to  learn  and 
acquire  at  least  a  rudimentary  knowledge  of  the  pro- 
found philosophies  and  scientific  problems  which  per- 
meate the  various  degrees  of  our  most  Illustrious 
Fraternity.  Yet,  notwithstanding  this  fact,  there  are 
a  vast  number  of  true  Brothers  who  are  earnestly 
working  and  searching  through  the  various  degrees 
of  Masonry  for  the  express  purpose  of  understanding 
the  sublime  Truths  contained  in  those  philosophical 


150  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

teachings.  They  are  no  doubt  earnestly  striving  to 
solve  the  problem  of  How  to  "Live  The  Life."  These 
Brothers  will  most  assuredly  be  ever  patient  with  the 
"Drones."  And  they  will,  to  the  best  of  their  ability, 
strive  earnestly  and  incessantly  to  assist  them  along 
the  path  that  leads  to  LIGHT  AND  LIBERTY.  They 
will  also  earnestly  strive  to  help  them  to  comprehend 
that  great  and  profound  problem  of  PERSONAL 
RESPONSIBILITY.  Because  that  Venerable  Asso- 
ciation or  Brotherhood  of  Perfect  Masters  in  India 
discovered  and  taught  in  the  dim  and  misty  ages  of 
the  past  that:  "PERSONAL  RESPONSIBILITY  is 
a  fixed  and  immutable  principle  of  nature  and  a  Law 
of  Individual  Life  and  that  there  are  no  substitutes  or 
antidotes  for  it.  They  have  learned,  therefore,  long 
ages  ago,  that  there  is  absolutely  no  plan  or  method 
possible,  whereby  Individual  Intelligence  may  avoid  it 
or  evade  it,  or  escape  the  natural  results  of  its  per- 
sonal application  to  each  and  every  Intelligent  Soul." 

Did  not  the  Master  Christ  teach  the  same  thing 
when  he  said :  "God  is  not  mocked  that  which  you  sow 
that  must  you  also  reap." 

The  T.  K.  says,  in  the  "GREAT  WORK,"  page  386, 
paragraphs  1,  2  and  3:  "Slowly,  laboriously  and 
often  times  reluctantly,  it  is  at  last  borne  in  upon  the 
intelligent  consciousness  of  every  Student,  that  there 
is  but  one  way  whereby  the  problem  of  Personal 
Responsibility  may  ever  be  solved  and  that  is  by  'The 
Living  of  a  Life.' 

"Let  him  stop  at  this  point  and  dwell  for  at  least 
one  silent  and  intense  moment  on  the  ominous  sig- 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  151 

nificance  of  these  five  simple,  but  magical  words  'THE 

LIVING  OF  A  LIFE; 

"Then  let  him  ask  himself,  how  many  there  are  to- 
day who  are  seeking  or  who  think  they  are  seeking 
for  the  hidden  mysteries  and  vital  truths  of  Life  (The 
Life  that  is  and  the  Life  that  is  to  come),  who  would 
stop,  hesitate,  then  turn  away,  if  they  but  know  what 
every  Student  of  Natural  Science  must  come  to  know, 
viz.:  that  the  definite  knowledge  and  the  independent 
Spiritual  and  psychical  power  for  which  they  are 
seeking,  can  never  be  obtained  or  acquired  in  any 
manner  whatsoever,  except  as  a  natural  and  scientific 
result  of— THE  LIVING  OF  A  LIFE,  in  full,  and  will- 
ing compliance  with  the  Constructive  Principle  in  In- 
dividual Life." 

Let  me  assure  you,  my  dear  Brothers,  that  only  by 
fulfilling  The  Law  and  Living  the  Life,  can  you  ever 
hope  to  rise  to  higher  planes  of  Spiritual  unfoldment 
and  travel  in  foreign  countries  and  receive  a  Master's 
Wages. 

Every  Masonic  Student  will  find  it  very  difficult 
to  solve  some  of  the  problems  and  Symbols  of  the 
"Great  School,"  and  Scottish  Rite  Masonry,  as  well  as 
those  in  our  Blue  Degrees.  For  many  of  our  Modern 
writers  give  a  wrong  impression  and  interpretation  of 
them.  Often  leading  astray  many  of  our  Masonic 
Students  who  are  trying  to  solve  and  understand  them 
and  their  true  meaning. 

Our  revered  Brother,  the  late  General  Albert 
Pike,  speaking  in  relation  to  this  subject  said,  and  I 
again  repeat:  "There  is  no  sight  under  the  sun  more 
pitiful  and  ludicrous  at  once  than  the  Prestons  and 


152  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Webb's,  not  to  mention  the  later  incarnations  of 
Dullards  and  commonplace,  undertaking  to  explain, 
"the  old  symbols  of  Masonry.  And  adding  to  and  im- 
proving them,"  or  inventing  new  ones.  To  the  circle 
enclosing  the  central  point  and  itself  traced  between 
two  parallel  lines  a  figure  purely  Kabalistic,  these  per- 
sons have  added  the  superimposed  Bible.  And  even 
raised  on  that  the  ladder  with  three  or  nine  rounds. 
And  after  giving  a  rapid  interpretation  of  the  whole, 
so  profoundly  absurd,  as  actually  to  excite  admira- 
tion. 

I  have  no  desire  to  go  into  the  subject  of  Esoteric 
Masonry  and  point  out  to  you  the  hidden  meaning  of 
many  of  the  things  that  you  have  seen  and  heard; 
and  yet  do  not  understand.  Because,  I  shall  leave 
that  to  another  volume  of  this  series.  Right  here,  and 
now,  I  simply  want  to  tell  you  that  the  old  secrets  and 
symbols,  have  been  reveiled  or  hidden,  on  purpose  to 
conceal  their  true  meaning  from  the  profane.  Not- 
withstanding this  fact,  the  earnest  student  who  has 
obtained  the  Key  through  profound  Study,  will  find 
no  difficulty  in  coming  to  a  thorough  comprehension 
of  their  true  meaning  and  sublime  teachings. 

The  Great  School  in  India  had  their  watch-words. 
Which  explained  to  the  members  thereof,  the  True 
Philosophy  of  Life.  And  the  philosophy  of  present 
action  and  future  hope  (See  Harmonies,  page  463). 
They  were  used  originally  in  the  hoary  ages  of  the 
past,  as  they  should  be  used  by  the  Lineal  descend- 
ants of  that  Great  Brotherhood — The  School  of  Nat- 
ural Science  and  Scottish  Rite  Masonry  of  the  South- 
ern Jurisdiction.  These  Watch-Words  are — A.,  TO 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  153 

KNOW— B.,  TO  DARE— C.,  TO  DO— D.,  TO  KEEP 
SILENT. 

The  meaning  of  this  A,  B,  C,  D  of  Wisdom  and 
direction  signifies  to  all  the  members  of  the  School 
and  its  branches,  as  well  as  all  members  of  The 
Kadosh  that,  A — signifies  the  acquisition  of  positive 
knowledge.  B — The  Moral  Courage  to  uphold  it. 
C — To  desseminate  and  propogate  that  knowledge  to 
all  those  who  have  been  Duly  and  Truly  prepared  and 
found  worthy  to  Receive  it.  D — To  keep  silent  stands 
for  Humility  and  humbleness  of  heart  and  Soul,  com- 
bined with  true  Loyalty  to  the  Cause  and  Work.  Con- 
sequently we  of  the  School,  and  Scottish  Rite  Ma- 
sonry of  the  Southern  Jurisdiction  do  not  believe  in 
what  Peter  said  or  what  his  followers — the  Priests, 
Bishops  and  Cardinals  of  the  Romish  Church  preach 
and  practice.  Because  they  teach  to  all  their  mem- 
bers that  absolute  obedience  to  their  commands  and 
demands  are  the  primary,  fundamental  and  essential 
Duty  of  each  and  every  individual  member  thereof. 
And  they  are  made  to  believe  that  there  is  no  sin 
more  damnable  than  the  unpardonable  one  of  dis- 
obedience of  the  Church,  or  a  wilful  disregard,  of  the 
absolute  authority  of  the  hierarchy  of  that  institution. 
For  they  lay  claim  to  Divine  authority,  to  remit  the 
penalties  of  the  sins  of  their  members.  They  posi- 
tively assert  and  declare  that  they  hold  the  Keys  to 
the  Binding  and  Loosing.  That  they  have  the  power 
to  punish  the  sinner  or  absolve  him  from  the  con- 
sequences of  his  sin  or  sins — providing  he  has  the  cur- 
rent coin  of  the  realm  to  compensate  them  for  their 
time  and  trouble. 


154  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

My  dear  Brothers,  I  ask  you  again  to  read  THE 
GREAT  WORK,  because,  it  is  diamentrically  op- 
posed to  methods  adopted  by  the  hierarchy  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  If  you  will  read  the  Great 
Work,  it  will  impress  upon  every  reader  in  such  man- 
ner, as  to  inspire  him  to  immediate  action,  the  para- 
mount fact,  that  it  is  his  own  best  interests,  his  own 
greatest  good  and  his  own  largest  possibility  of  hap- 
piness, both  now  and  in  the  future  life  to  come,  to 
enter  at  once  upon  the  noble  and  ennobling  task  of 
"LIVING  A  LIFE,  in  conformity  with  Natures  Con- 
structive Principle  and  never  thereafter  to  falter,  un- 
til he  shall  arrive  at  the  goal  of  individual  Mastership, 
whether  that  be  in  this  life  or  in  the  great  here- 
after. 

Just  stop  right  here  for  one  silent  and  intense 
moment,  on  the  ominous  significance  of  these  five 
simple  but  magical  words,  "The  Living  of  a  Life." 

Then  let  him  ask  himself  how  many  there  are  to- 
day who  are  seeking,  or  who  think  they  are  seeking 
for  the  hidden  mysteries  and  vital  truths  of  life  (the 
life  that  is  and  the  life  that  is  to  come),  who  would 
stop,  hesitate,  then  turn  away,  if  they  but  knew  what 
every  Student  of  Natural  Science  must  come  to  know, 
viz.;  that  the  definite  knowledge  and  the  independent 
spiritual  and  psychical  power,  for  which  they  are 
seeking,  can  never  be  obtained  or  acquired  in  any 
manner  whatsoever,  except,  as  a  natural  and  scien- 
tific result  of  the  living  of  a  life  in  full  and  willing 
compliance  with  the  Constructive  Principle  of  Nature 
in  Individual  Life. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  155 

From  what  I  have  now  said  and  herein  before 
written,  I  firmly  believe  that  I  have  shown  conclusive- 
ly the  source  from  which  Masonry  originated  and 
where  we  received  the  System  of  Morality  upon  which 
it  is  founded.  In  doing  this,  I  have  also  proven  be- 
yond doubt  its  Antiquity. 

We  will  now  proceed  to  answer  the  question— 
What  is  FREE-MASONRY?  But  before  doing  so, 
we  will  answer  the  question— WHAT  IS  MASONRY 
first,  and  then  show  What  Free-Masonry  is,  and  what 
a  Master  Mason  is.  We  shall  then  leave  our  prem- 
ises and  Conclusions  in  your  hands,  in  the  open  book 
before  you. 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  157 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

Masonry  and  Free-Masonry 

At  the  commencement  of  this  volume  we  told  you 
that  Masonry  is  a  peculiar  system  of  Morality,  veiled 
in  Allegory  and  illustrated  by  Symbols.  In  this 
volume  we  shall  omit  the  Legends,  Allegories  and 
Symbols,  confining  ourselves  strictly  to  Morality. 

The  T.  K.  in  the  Great  Work  informs  us,  at  page 
184,  et  sep.— "SCIENCE"— Is  the  exact  knowledge 
of  the  Facts  of  Nature,  classified  and  systematized." 

"FAITH— Is  the  established  relation,  which  the 
facts  of  Nature  sustain  to  each  other  and  to  the  In- 
dividual Intelligence  or  the  Soul  of  Man." 

"PHILOSOPHY— Is  the  conclusion,  which  man 
in  his  search  for  Knowledge  of  Truth,  has  drawn  from 
the  Facts  of  Science." 

Religion — "Is  the  application  of  the  Facts  of 
Science  and  the  conclusions  of  Philosophy  to  indi- 
vidual Life  and  Conduct." 

From  this  viewpoint  it  will  be  observed  that 
Science  has  reference  alone  to  the  phenomena  of  na- 
ture— the  terms  'facts'  and  'phenomena'  meaning  the 
same  thing." 

Truth  has  reference  to  the  relations  which  the 
phenomena  of  nature,  sustain  to  each  other  and  to 
the  Individual  Intelligence.  By  reference  to  the  defi- 


158  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

nition  of  'Morality'  it  will  be  observed  that  the  entire 
problem  of  Ethics  or  Morals  falls  within  this  field." 

Philosophy  has  reference  to  the  deductions,  which 
men  have  drawn  from  nature  in  their  search  for 
Truth. 

Religion  is  merely  the  application  of  such  knowl- 
edge as  we  possess  to  the  problems  of  individual  life 
and  conduct. 

It  will  now  be  apparent  to  those  who  have  fol- 
lowed the  subject  closely,  that,  from  the  viewpoint  of 
the  Great  School,  science  and  philosophy  and  re- 
ligion are  in  no  sense  conflicting  Schools.  They  do 
not  antagonize  each  other  in  their  essential  nature. 
On  the  contrary,  they  are,  in  truth  concomitant  fac- 
tors in  the  same  great  problem  of  individual  life  and 
unfoldment.  And  Truth  is  the  vital  element  which  re- 
lates them  all. 

It  is  also  possible  now  to  see  and  understand  the 
clear  principle  of  relationship  between  religion  and 
morality.  MORALITY,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  the 
established  harmonic  relation  which  Man,  as  an  In- 
dividual Intelligence  sustains  to  the  Constructive 
Principle  of  Nature.  While  Religion  is  the  applica- 
tion of  such  knowledge  as  we  possess,  to  the  problem 
of  individual  life  and  conduct,  in  such  manner  as  to 
maintain  that  harmonic  relation,  the  inevitable  result 
of  which  is  conformance  with  the  Constructive  Prin- 
ciple of  Nature. 

But  the  process  involved  in  such  a  life  is  one 
which  also  and  at  the  same  time,  develops  within  the 
individual  the  state  or  condition  of  Constructive 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  159 

Spirituality  on  which  alone  Spiritual  Independence 
and  Mastership  depend. 

"What  does  all  this  mean?  Simply  this,  that  Nat- 
ural Science  and  True  Religion,  after  all,  are  one  and 
the  same  thing.  An  understanding  of  this  great 
Truth,  makes  of  science  a  religion  and  lifts  religion  to 
a  basis  of  exact  science.  To  make  this  clear  and  cer- 
tain to  the  mind  of  the  reader  is  one  of  the  definite 
purposes  of  this  chapter. 

"Briefly  summarizing:  The  Great  School  has  dis- 
covered and  formulated  a  definite  system.  It  is  based 
upon  experiment  and  demonstration  through  personal 
experience.  It  constitutes  a  Scientific  Formulary.  Its 
foundation  is  Morality.  Its  application  is  Religion. 
It  is  Constructive  in  its  essential  nature.  It  is  Evolu- 
tionary in  its  essential  character.  Its  purpose  is  the 
development  of  Constructive  Spirituality.  Its  results 
is  Spiritual  Independence  and  Mastership. 

Rudolf  Eucken  informs  us  that  Religions,  Moral- 
ity and  the  Morality  of  Reason,  have  come  down  to 
us  from  past  ages  and  grew  out  of  an  inner  world  of 
Thought. 

The  most  effectual  kind  of  Morality  is  as  the  T.  K. 
says — The  religious  one.  Because,  it  completely 
severs  moral  action  from  all  natural  inclination,  dis- 
associates it  from  all  external  performance,  and  give 
it  a  purely  spiritual  character.  It  supplies  a  most 
powerful  impulse  to  action  by  connecting  man's  des- 
tiny with  his  attitude  to  his  moral  obligations.  The 
awakening  and  ennobling  power  inherent  in  what 
Christ  the  Master  preached  and  practiced,  was  not 
confined  to  Individuals,  but  was  embodied  in  a  large 


160  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

section  of  the  human  race,  creating  a  spiritual  atmos- 
phere, which  still  acts  powerfully  on  individual  souls, 
even  if  they  themselves  are  not  conscious  of  it.  Re- 
ligions, morality,  still  continues  to  influence  us  in  this 
way. 

Religious  Ethics  do  not  seem  to  have  sufficient 
latitude  to  transform  the  whole  of  life.  We  can 
therefore  understand  the  widespread  desire  for  some- 
thing which  can  sufficiently  supplement  religion's 
ethics. 

Religious  Morality  has  been  supplemented  and 
completed  by  the  Morality  of  Reason,  which  was  de- 
veloped in  the  hoary  ages  of  the  past,  by  the  learned 
men  of  Ancient  India,  down  to  the  philosophers  of  the 
present  day.  Here  Morality  does  not  proceed  from 
a  superior  and  Divine  Will.  But  from  Man's  own  rea- 
sonable nature.  This  nature  seems  to  demand  recog- 
nition of  a  universal  Law  and  voluntary  submis- 
sion to  it,  only  then  does  man  bring  his  own  being  to 
perfection.  The  Morality  arising  herefrom  is  strong 
and  manly,  it  incites  man  to  a  proud  independence  of 
Spirit  and  exalts  him  far  above  every  day  life.  To 
this  morality  of  reason  we  owe  the  scientific  develop- 
ment of  the  moral  world  of  Thought  and  the  distinct 
formulations  of  conceptions,  like  Duty  and  Con- 
science. 

Let  me  positively  assure  you  that  MORALITY  IS 
AN  EXACT  SCIENCE,  just  as  surely  and  truly  as 
any  other  so-called  "exact  science."  And  the  Great 
School  positively  declares  in  unmistakable  terms  that 
Morality  is  as  truly  and  as  definitely  a  matter  of 
science  as  is  chemistry.  And  this  fact  has  not  only 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  161 

been  taught  throughout  the  ages  by  the  Great  Broth- 
erhood of  India,  thousands  of  years  before  the  founda- 
tions of  the  pyramids  of  Egypt  were  laid,  or  the 
Sphinx,  looked  to  the  East.  Which  was  long  cen- 
turies before  Abraham  was  born.  Moses  lifted  from 
the  bosom  of  the  Nile,  Solomon  the  Wise  King  of 
Isreal,  or  Christ  the  Master  was  over  dreamed  of.  And 
yet  these  very  Men  learned  the  Science  from  the 
School  of  the  Masters  and  they  taught  and  demon- 
strated it  in  their  own  Lives.  And  Masonry  received 
and  gave  or  gives  it  to  every  member  who  is  Worthy 
and  Well  Qualified  to  Receive  it.  And  he  who  so  re- 
ceives it  realizes  that  it  is  his  bounden  Duty  to  demon- 
strate this  progressive  philosophy  in  his  own  Life. 

Because,  the  Members  of  the  Great  School  today, 
as  well  as  the  Students  of  the  various  Masonic  Clubs, 
every  where,  are  endeavoring  to  educate  men  and 
Masons  to  a  higher  plane  of  spiritual  unfoldment.  To 
give  humanity  a  thorough  and  comprehensive  knowl- 
edge of  Moral  Laws  and  Principles.  So  that  they 
might  be  enabled  to  "LIVE  THE  LIFE"  and  Prove 
the  Law. 

Now,  my  dear  Brothers,  if  Morality  is  an  Exact 
Science — and  we  know  that  it  is — not  only  because 
the  Master  says  so,  but  because  we  have  proven  it 
for  ourselves. 

The  definition   of  the  Word  "MORALITY"  is— 

"The  established  harmonic  relation  which  Man  as  an 
Individual  Intelligence  sustains  to  the  Constructive 
Principle  of  his  own  Being."  From  this  definition  we 
realize  the  fact  that — There  can  be  no  Soul  growth 
without  it.  That  MORALITY  is  the  very  foundation 


162  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

of  Constructive  Spirituality.  That  on  the  Ethical 
plane  of  Being,  it  builds  up  that  beautiful  Temple  of 
MORAL  CHARACTER.  And  it  continues  to  do  so, 
just  as  long  as  man  conforms  his  Life  to  the  Construc- 
tive Principle  of  Nature.  Which  is  "That  Principle 
in  Nature  which  impels  every  entity  to  seek  vibratory 
correspondence  with  another  like  entity  of  opposite  po- 
larity." Therefore,  from  the  above  we  find  that  Man 
must  depend  upon  this  Principle  for  all  the  possi- 
bilities of  his  Soul.  If  he  will  conform  his  Life  to  the 
Constructive  Principle  of  Nature  and  "LIVE  THE 
LIFE"  he  will  prove  the  Law  for  himself.  If  every 
Mason  would  keep  his  first  promise — Learn  to  subdue 
his  passions  and  Improve  himself  in  Masonry 
(MORALITY)  he  would  "Live  the  Life."  And  he 
would  fully  realize  the  fact,  that  no  destructive  force 
could  in  any  way  affect  him.  And  he  would  also 
realize  the  fact  that — Constructive  Spirituality  could 
not  exist  in  Individual  Life,  except  it  is  built  upon 
and  sustained  by  Morality. 

This  is  just  exactly  what  Scottish  Rite  Masonry 
of  the  Southern  Jurisdiction  and  the  Schools  of  Ma- 
sonic Clubs  teaches.  And  what  the  Great  School  of 
the  Masters  has  ever  taught  and  what  it  positively  as- 
serts today,  that — The  foundation  of  Moral  Principle, 
must,  be  laid  before  any  Man  or  Mason,  can  Receive 
Spiritual  Knowledge  or  know  how  to  rightly  use  it, 
for  either  himself  or  for  the  benefit  of  others.  There- 
fore, every  Master  Mason,  who  keeps  his — First 
Promise  and  fulfills  his  Obligations  and  conforms  his 
Life  to  the  Constructive  Principle  of  Nature  and  to 
the  practice  of  Moral  Principles,  is  most  assuredly — 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  163 

"LIVING  THE  LIFE."    And  this,  my  dear  Friends 
and  Brothers,  is— FREE-MASONRY. 

In  the  preceding  pages  we  have  answered  the  ques- 
tion—WHAT  IS  FREE-MASONRY?  In  doing  so  we 
have  shown  you  its  Origin  and  proven  its  Antiquity. 
Therefore,  in  order  to  complete  what  I  had  in  mind, 
when  I  started  this  little  volume,  I  will  quote  you  an 
article  written  by  my  very  dear  Friend  and  Brother, 
John  L.  Travis,  of  Savannah,  Georgia: 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  165 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

What  a  Master  Mason  Is 

(By  John  L.  Travis,  Savannah,  Georgia) 

"A  Master  Mason  is  a  man  who  has  truly  learned 
to  subdue  his  passions  and  has  improved  himself  in 
Masonry. 

"Let  us  examine  into  this  definition  a  little.  What 
is  that  Masonry  in  which  a  man  must  'improve  him- 
self to  become  a  Master? 

"  'Masonry  is  a  beautiful  system  of  morality,  veiled 
in  allegory  and  illustrated  by  symbols.' 

"But  what  is  Morality?  'Morality  is  the  established 
harmonic  relation  which  Man,  as  an  Individual  In- 
telligence, sustains  to  the  Constructive  Principle  of 
Nature.'  But  in  other  words :  'Morality  is  Man's  estab- 
lished harmonic  relation  to  the  Constructive  Principle 
of  his  own  being.' — The  Great  Work. 

"Masonry  throughout  its  whole  fabric  is  construct- 
ive, and  its  allegories  are  based  on  the  operations  of 
building,  or  aligning  one's  self  with  the  Great  Con- 
structive Principle  of  Nature  and  of  one's  own  being. 

"Before  a  building  is  erected,  however,  the  mate- 
rials are  first  set  apart  or  'devoted'  to  the  work.  Hence, 
a  Master  Mason  must  first  have  devoted  or  set  apart 
his  own  powers  and  capacities  to  the  work  of  build- 
ing a  Spiritual  Temple.  And  he  must  have  done  this 
freely  and  voluntarily.  This  material  must  be  sound, 


166  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

hence  an  inward  preparation,  one  in  the  heart,  is  first 
requisite.  For  as  out  of  the  heart  come  the  issues  of 
life  and  death,  so  if  the  material  be  unsound  at  heart, 
the  building  erected  therefrom  cannot  withstand  the 
assaults  of  time  or  the  attacks  of  the  elements,  even 
if  it  can  bear  its  own  weight. 

"The  material  then  being  examined  and  found 
without  blemish  and  well-fitted  to  be  used  for  the  pro- 
posed building,  all  irregularities  and  excrescences  must 
be  removed.  This  the  Master  Mason  has  done  by  the 
constant  use  of  the  Gavel  of  his  Will,  guided  and 
tested  by  the  Square  of  his  Conscience.  By  these  in- 
struments he  has  removed  from  his  life  all  its  vices 
and  superfluities  and  has  prepared  himself  'as  a  living 
stone,  for  that  spiritual  temple,  that  house  not  made 
with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.' 

"Having  proceeded  thus  far  in  the  line  of  con- 
structive effort,  he  has  laid  the  foundation  of  his 
Spiritual  Temple,  using  the  plumb  of  uprightness,  in 
thought  and  heart  as  well  as  in  words  and  professions, 
for  the  plumb  admonished  him  to  build  upward  ever. 
He  has  also  used  the  level  of  equality  and  brotherly 
love,  by  which  he  has  not  only  driven  out  arrogance 
and  pride  and  arbitrary  conduct  towards  others,  but 
has  also  instilled  courtesy,  kindness,  and  humility.  All 
this  he  has  squared  by  the  square  of  virtue,  justice, 
strict  rectitude,  and  duty,  both  towards  his  fellow  man 
and  himself.  For  no  carpenter  would  undertake  a  build- 
ing without  a  square,  neither  can  a  man  progress  in 
the  work  of  Spiritual  Building  without  incorruptible 
virtue  and  purity  of  thought,  word  and  deed;  nor  with- 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  167 

out  the  full  performance  of  every  duty,  to  whomsoever 
owed. 

"And  he  has  covered  this  foundation  with  a  Mo- 
saic pavement,  reminding  him  to  accept  good  and  evil 
fortune  with  equanimity,  that  light  and  shadow,  good 
and  evil,  prosperity  and  adversity,  are  to  be  expected 
equally  by  all  men;  that  no  matter  what  his  posses- 
sions, whether  wealth,  intellect,  knowledge,  power,  or 
health,  they  are  but  lent  to  him  to  use  rightly,  and 
that  he  cannot  reasonably  expect  to  enjoy  them  with- 
out paying  the  price — and  if  he  refuse  to  pay,  they 
may  be  taken  from  him. 

"No  profane  man,  nor  one  who  habitually  takes  the 
name  of  God  in  vain,  no  swearer,  drunkard,  libertine, 
retailer  of  filthy  stories,  no  dishonest  man,  no  man 
who  is  a  glutton,  or  covetous  or  cruel  or  vain,  or 
haughty,  or  intolerant,  or  cross,  or  impatient,  or  quick 
to  anger  without  cause,  can  properly  be  called  a  Mas- 
ter Mason.  How  can  he  be  a  Master  until  he  can  con- 
trol himself? 

"The  foundations  of  Masonic  character  are  Broth- 
erly Love  and  Humility,  Uprightness,  and  Virtue.  If 
any  part  of  this  foundation  is  taken  away,  the  whole 
building  must  fall. 

"The  foundation  laid,  the  Master  Mason  has 
learned  to  rise  over  and  upon  his  appetites  and  pas- 
sions, to  turn  them  into  the  columns  that  support  and 
adorn  his  edifice.  He  does  not  despise  his  body,  nor 
seek  to  destroy  his  natural  appetites,  but  learns  to 
turn  them  each  to  Constructive  uses.  And  it  may  be 
said  in  passing  that  when  his  Temple  is  completed, 


168  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

these  very  "appetites  and  passions"  of  the  physical 
man  (or  is  it  not  more  probably  their  spiritual  coun- 
terparts)— the  stone  which  the  builders  rejected — be- 
come the  headstone  of  the  corner,  the  keystone  of  the 
gateway  to  spiritual  knowledge  and  real  happiness. 

"The  Master  Mason  has  also  improved  himself,  as 
far  as  possible,  in  the  liberal  arts  and  sciences.  He  is 
a  man  of  liberal  and  generous  mind,  who  is  ever  seek- 
ing more  knowledge,  or  for  more  self  gratification  or 
intellectual  pleasure,  but  that  he  may  be  more  useful 
to  his  fellow-men. 

"He  also  knows  when  he  comes  to  the  river  of 
spirituality,  and  can  tell  what  he  wishes  to  cross,  and 
whither  he  is  going.  He  has  not  abandoned  his  un- 
dertaking, as  did  the  Ephriamites,  and  turned  back 
after  setting  his  hand  to  the  plow,  but  has  steadily 
gone  forward,  regardless  of  all  temptations  and  de- 
spite all  opposition. 

"He  is  of  such  tried  courage  that  Death  has  no  ter- 
rors for  him,  nor  can  the  present  and  imminent  threat 
of  it  deter  him  from  his  duty  or  induce  him  to  betray 
a  trust.  His  integrity  is  dearer  to  him  than  his  life. 
For  he  knows  that  death  is  but  a  phantom,  feared  by 
ignorance,  and  to  the  wise  man  no  more  than  the 
laying  aside  of  one's  garments  when  the  hour  for  rest 
has  come. 

"In  all  this  labor,  the  Master  Mason  has  been 
clothed  in  innocence,  as  with  a  garment, — the  inno- 
cence of  knowledge  of  the  truth.  He  has  scattered 
around  him  (and  thereby  increased)  a  love  for  all 
mankind,  a  toleration  recognizing  that  each  man  has 
a  right  of  his  own  opinions  and  that  he  who  persecutes 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  169 

for  opinion's  sake  thereby  usurps  the  prerogative  of 
God.  He  has  sympathized  with  the  sorrows  of  all  the 
world  and  done  what  he  could  to  alleviate  suffering. 
And  he  has  learned  to  look  with  pitying  sympathy 
upon  diseases  of  the  spirit  and  the  intellect,  as  he 
would  upon  those  of  the  body,  with  neither  hatred  nor 
anger,  nor  the  desire  to  punish  or  persecute.  Also, 
he  has  a  profound  Faith  in  God,  which  is  in  equilib- 
rium with  his  Intelligent  Reason. 

"Such  a  man  will  not  be  found  seeking  Masonic 
office,  and  will  accept  such  office  only  as  an  invitation 
and  opportunity  to  do  more  good;  will  not  complain 
if  the  'honors'  of  Masonry  are  given  to  another  and 
not  to  him;  will  be  self-controlled,  courteous,  consid- 
erate, sympathetic,  and  kind  to  all;  will  understand 
something  of  the  true  meaning  of  Masonic  symbolism; 
and  will  be  an  exemplar  of  what  is  highest  and  best  in 
humanity. 

"Such  a  man  may  be  justly  called  a  Master  Mason. 
Such  a  man  is  the  owner  in  fee  simple  of  a  Spiritual 
Temple  in  that  country  where  neither  moth  nor  rust 
corrupts  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  and 
steal. 

"Are  there  such  men?  There  always  have  been, 
and  always  will  be,  thank  God.  By  their  fruits  ye 
shall  know  them." 


The   Lion's  Paw  Series  171 


CONCLUSION 


In  the  last  chapter  we  gave  you  some  idea  of  what 
a  Master  Mason  is.  Now  I  desire  to  quote  you  a  poem 
written  by  that  distinguished  and  celebrated  Scottish 
poet  and  first  Poet  Laureate  of  Free-Masonry,  who 
was  born  in  Scotland  on  the  25th  day  of  January, 
1759,  adjacent  to  the  town  of  Ayr.  He  died  on  the 
22nd  day  of  January,  1796.  He  was  an  enthusiastic 
Mason  and  devoted  himself  to  giving  the  Craft  whole- 
some instruction.  I  need  not  speak  of  his  poetry  and 
literature  for  it  is  too  well  known  throughout  the 
world  universal.  He  was  a  Past  Master  of  his  lodge 
in  Scotland  and  he  expected  to  leave  his  native  home 
to  go  to  Jamaica  in  consequence  of  which  he  wrote 
his  farewell  to  one  of  his  lodge  brethren  in  the  fol- 
lowing poetical  lines. 

My  reason  for  publishing  the  poem  is  to  show  you 
my  dear  Brothers,  that  in  the  latter  part  of  the  18th 
century  we  were  known  as  "SONS  OF  LIGHT"  to 
the  Masonic  student  and  as  I  have  shown  in  the  body 
of  the  work  that  our  revered  Brother,  the  late  Gen- 
eral Albert  Pike  loved  to  call  all  those  who  had  been 
Duly  and  Truly  prepared,  and  who  were  worthy  and 
well  qualified  to  be  called  a  MASTER-MASON. 


172  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

Adieu;  a  heart-warm,  found  adieu; 

Dear  Brothers  of  the  Mystic  Tie; 
Ye  favour'd  ye  enlighten'd  few, 

Companions  of  my  social  joy; 

Tho'  I  to  foreign  lands  must  hie, 
Pursuing  Fortune's  slidd'ry  ba'; 

With  melting  heart  and  brimful  eye 
I'll  mind  you  still,  tho'  far  awa. 

Oft  have  I  met  your  social  band, 

And  spent  the  cheerful,  festive  night; 
Oft  honor'd  with  supreme  command, 

Presided  o'er  the  Sons  of  Light; 

And  by  that  Hieroglyphic  bright 
Which  none  but  Craftsmen  ever  saw; 

Strong  mem'ry  on  my  heart  shall  write 
Those  happy  scenes,  when  far  awa. 

May  Freedom,  Harmony,  and  Love. 

Unite  you  in  the  Grand  Design, 
Beneath  th'  Omniscient  Eye  above — 

The  glorious  Architect  Divine — 

That  you  may  keep  th'  Unerring  Line, 
Still  rising  by  the  Plummet's  Law, 

Till  Order  bright  completely  shine, 
Shall  be  my  pray'r,  when  far  awa. 

And  You  farewell ;  whose  merits'  claim 

Justly  that  Highest  Badge  to  wear: 
Heav'n  bless  your  honor'd  noble  name, 

To  Masonry  and  Scotia  dear; 

A  last  request  permit  me  here, 
When  early  ye  assemble  a', 

One  round,  I  ask  it  with  a  tear, 
To  him,  the  Bard,  that's  far  awa. 

In  concluding  this  volume  I  do  most  earnestly  de- 
sire to  impress    upon    your    mind    and    soul  that— 


The   Lion's   Paw   Series  173 

MASONRY  is  a  most  profound  progressive  scientific 
philosophy.  And  its  progression  rests  upon  the  prec- 
tice  of  Morality.  And  the  "Living  of  a  Life."  It  is 
founded  on  TRUTH  or  the  great  fundamental  Law  of 
EQUITY,  JUSTICE  and  RIGHT  which  runs  through 
all  the  manifestations  and  differentiations  in  the  Kos- 
mos,  from  Atom  to  Man.  Let  me  distinctly  impress 
upon  your  mind  that — Masonry  is  a  Teacher  of  Great 
Truths.  It  is  the  container  of  all  the  Wisdom  that 
belonged  to  the  learned  men  of  every  epoch  of  the 
World's  history.  It  teaches  to  all  Masonic  students 
how  to  "Live  the  Life"  in  accord  with  the  constructive 
Principle  of  Nature,  which  is — Creative,  Formative, 
Integrating,  Developing,  Organizing  and  Evolution- 
ary in  its  nature.  It  teaches  every  Masonic  student 
who  has  been  "Duly  and  Truly  Prepared"  how  to  de- 
velop all  those  Faculties,  Capacities  and  Powers  that 
lie  dormant  within  the  sanctuary  of  his  own  soul.  A 
knowledge  of  which  will  enable  him  to  "Keep  his  First 
Promise  and  Live  the  Life."  And  do  not  forget  that 
—MASONRY  is  a  most  profound  progressive  scien- 
tific philosophy,  whose  basic  principles  are  laid  on  the 
foundation  of  MORALITY. 

FREE-MASONRY  is  the  practicing  in  his  daily 
life  what  Masonry  stands  for  and  what  it  teaches. 
Free-Masonry  is  the  "Living  of  a  Life"  in  accord  with 
the  Constructive  Principle  of  Nature.  Because  he 
has  now  through  the  development  of  his  Faculties, 
Capacities  and  Powers,  learned  how  to  use  the  two 
great  Factors  that  will  enable  him  to  do  so— PER- 
SONAL EFFORT  and  SELF-CONTROL.  Through 
a  knowledge  of  Masonry  the  Free-Mason  positively 


174  The   Lion's   Paw   Series 

knows  that  man  is  not  the  highest  being  in  Nature's 
evolutionary  processes,  but  that  he  has  the  potenti- 
ality of  becoming  so  if  he  chooses  the  Moral  or  Con- 
structive pathway  that  leads  to  higher  planes  of  Spir- 
itual development  and  to  LIGHT  and  TRUTH.  Ma- 
sonry teaches  that  Man  is  not  a  mere  Automaton.  That 
man  has  a  FREE-WILL.  That  man  is  a  Free,  Moral 
agent.  That  he  can  positively  choose  to  be  good  and 
do  good  or  evil  if  he  may  so  desire.  Because  he  knows 
that  he  has  a  Freedom  of  choice.  He  also  knows  that 
— if  he  wants  to  die  the  death  of  the  Righteous,  he 
must  "LIVE  THE  LIFE."  Therefore,  from  what  I 
have  said  above  you,  my  dear  Brothers,  must  now  re- 
alize the  fact  that  a  Free-Mason  is  one  who  practices 
and  preaches  what  Masonry  teaches  and  in  so  doing 
he  follows  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience.  He  is  a 
believer  in  FREEDOM  OF  THOUGHT.  Freedom  of 
conscience,  FREE  SPEECH,  FREE  SCHOOLS  and 
a  Free  Government  for  the  people  and  by  the  people 
—THIS  IS  FREE-MASONRY. 


I  Illllll  Illl  Mill  Mill  Illll  Mill  Illl!  Illlllllll  III!!  IMII  Illl  INI 

A     000  091  227     9 


